Sister Garcia has a Birthday

We decorated Sister Garcia's car and made her wear the crown and sash.

Sister Winegar (new companion) Sister Smith, & Sister Garcia

Pics from Jocey

From my last area.  But the two ladies go to church with family here in this area.

Movie Preview...lucky me

The highlight of the week was that we got to preview the new Meet the Mormons movie! On Thursday we met as a zone with President Bennion and the assistants and we watched the movie. It's really good! Granted, it's been 13 months since I've watched a real movie, but still, I felt the Spirit. It's perfect because it's not too preachy, so it's nonthreatening and it's centered on Jesus Christ and families and how He has blessed the people's lives. It gives a fresh look on what members of the church are really like and it truly touches the heart, though that may sound chessy it's true. One of my favorite stories was the one about the Candy Bomber, I thought of Jared the whole time, I know it would be one of his favorites. I didn't even realize the candy bomber was Mormon. Anyway, I almost cried a couple times but didn't shed a tear. I was close though. It has a missionary saying goodbye to his family. Man, that was hard to watch for a second. Anyway,  GO SEE IT! Invite your friends! Especially if they have questions or they've heard strange things about the church because this glosses over those concerns and says: "They're all misconceptions!" basically. Once the movie was over there was silence amongst us missionaries and it felt so peaceful. Like the world couldn't come in. The Spirit was powerful. 

Last week we had a lot of awesome tracting miracles, but such is life as a missionary and most of the people we met we haven't been able to get back in with. Again, such is life, and it just takes a while to truly find the elect whom God has prepared. I heard a missionary say once that missionary life would be easy if the only thing we were out here to do is to find the elect and baptize them; we are also here to learn. I liked that. Though our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ, we are also learning skills and attributes that wouldn't be learned quite as quickly otherwise. 

We did to a lot of role playing with members and that's been fun. I thought that most members would find it awkward, and some do, but the moms seem to really get into it! And the dads seem to always try to perfect the role play like, "Maybe instead of saying this we could say that," etc. It's kind of funny. But it's cool to do it and feel the Spirit and see how it's supposed to work. It's fun too because we've been letting the members practice inviting their friends to see "Meet the Mormons" and that has gotten hysterical and spiritual all at the same time. We met with this older couple that served a senior mission in Houston and role played with them. It was hilarious because the husband kept going out of character and would say, "Now I just love that! Wow. Good job." Then he would go on to another story about their mission. It was so funny. 

Then we just tract in between meeting members and try to find the people. I feel like it will start to pick up with investigators and stuff within this transfer and many miracles will happen. I'm excited and I love this new area I'm in. I feel extremely comfortable here and we have some stellar members to work with.

Love y'all,

Sister Smith

More pics from Cleveland----my previous area

This is my old district in Cornelia. There are some great people I served around. :) 09/14

Give me more Sugar

I'm currently writing this email from Sugar Hill Georgia. That's my new area and I already love it! I am with Sister Paige Winegar. She's awesome. She just does things how we're supposed to and that's it. She's also really easy to talk to so we're getting along really well. Also, we live in a members basement. That's a whole new experience for me! It's by a lake and it's gorgeous.

President Bennion has emphasized the importance of member missionary work. Instead of leaving a random dinner thought with families, we're asked to role play with them and have a lesson with them from the Preach My Gospel lessons. It's been truly amazing and extremely uplifting and spiritual. My first night in Sugar Hill we met with a family who already knows someone they want to invite to FHE in a couple weeks and we role played with them and they thanked us for doing that with them. Plus, the wife plays the violin and she played "How Great Thou Art" while I sang, that was cool. She was a music major at BYU, so she's extremely skilled. 

We had another dinner with a family, whose daughter just got back from her mission in Germany. We role played with them and the father role played a friend from work. His friend is agnostic and such, and we went over prayer and receiving revelation to our prayers, etc. After we were finished Bro W. said, "I feel like you two did that really well. You handled my friend and his concerns very well. I almost want you to teach him." !!! That's how it's supposed to work! He doesn't live in our area, or even our mission. But, we're building the trust from the members and that's the whole point. 

That same day we had been tracting and talked to this lady named Denee. She was so sweet and told us to come back after dinner and we could talk to her. Then we knocked a few more houses and talked to another, younger girl named Alyssa and set up a return appointment for the next day. When we went back to Denee's we originally meant to talk to her about the Restoration, but she talked about how her brother died recently and since then she's wondered about the after life and such. She asked question after question. She's been searching for answers her entire life. She couldn't set up another appointment, but she gave us her number and told us to call her a day that we had open and see if we could drop in that evening. After we left we felt really good about the experience. She even has a connection to someone that's LDS.

The next day we had our lesson with Alyssa. She could only do it for 20 minutes but we emphasized prayer. She had never really prayed to her Heavenly Father before. She'd participated in church prayers and the prayer over dinner, but that was about it. We talked to her about how much Heavenly Father wants to hear from us and He cares about EVERYONE, we just have to begin praying to Him to actually know he's there. She prayed by the end of the lesson and we asked her how she felt,  she said that it felt really good. We gave her an assignment from the Book of Mormon on prayer and told her to practice her prayers. We're meeting with her again tomorrow. It's so cool because I don't think she ever realized how important she is to God. Truly it's a blessing to be a part of people's lives in that aspect, helping them discover spiritual things that people don't really talk about. It's beautiful.

Then, on Saturday we were trying to find these two less actives. Their address was recorded 940, but we couldn't find it. The numbers went from 920, 930, 950, 960. 940 was completely skipped. We sat there and laughed for a minute, almost deciding to call it a day and go somewhere else. Then we thought we should knock on 950 and ask them about the address. We knock on the door, a lovely lady with a Liberian accent opens the door. She talks to us, then we ask if "such-and-such and so-and-so" are there. She says, "Yes! This is where they live. They're not here right now, but come on in from the sun." We talk to her and she talks about she loves missionaries and she knows that Joseph Smith is a true prophet because the Spirit of God was in the room when the missionaries taught her about it. Then she said, "I don't know why the missionaries haven't come in a while, but they haven't." I guess it's been a couple years or so since they have come. She also had a 9 year old daughter that is super eager to be baptized. Apparently this is her favorite church and she loves the Book of Mormon even though she really hasn't read it. We set up an appointment with them and we'll be seeing them on Wednesday.

Anyway, I love it here. We have seen so many random miracles and have been so blessed! I'm so thankful to be a missionary and to be able to experience moments like these. At home I would never have the chance to be so immersed in missionary work, and now I get that opportunity. I love it.

Love you all so much!

Sister Smith

 SISTER BURGESS & SISTER SMITH AT AN APPLE ORCHARD

 GOTTA LOVE THE SOUTH AND PRAISE THE LORD.....

 ZONE SISTERS IN CLEVELAND AREA OF GEORGIA

SISTER IKETAU IS BOSS...SHE IS READY TO GO HOME ....MATCHING OUTFITS W

DRIVE , DRIVE DRIVE....

This week was basically us in the car ALL week! Or so it feels!

Tuesday we had Zone Meeting, which was pretty great. We got a new curriculum that I'm super excited for. President wants us to become better teachers. He still wants us to tract, but not have it be a main focus like it used to be, he said that we're pretty good teachers, but we need to be better. Our focus now is to strive to incorporate member missionary work more. To begin by focusing on teaching and role playing with the members, and as the Spirit comes more directly into their homes, then it will spark that missionary fire. I'm extremely excited and we began implementing it ASAP. 

Later that Tuesday we went to Taccoa, and had lessons with some amazing  women in our ward that have recently been reactivated. 

On Wednesday we had two lessons and a team up and both of our appointments cancelled :/. That was sad. And then we decided to teach a lesson to the lady that was going to go out with us. We role played, her being the investigator, and we actually learned quite a bit from it. We based it around an appointment we had later that night. And though we didn't need to use what we learned, it definitely started our day off well with the Spirit. Then Sister Burgess had a doctor's appointment in Ellijay. We were going to drive there ourselves and write off the medical miles, but the lady we did the lesson with offered to give us a ride. That was REALLY nice! That basically took all day because Ellijay is FOREVER away from us and her appointment took a very long time. But we ended the night with a lesson with Karen, the one whose mom is a member. It was a really wonderful lesson. The mother was baptized a while ago with her husband. She thought that she would be able to attend her other daughter's sealing, but she hadn't been baptized for a year. Since then she has had NO desire to go to the temple. It gives her a bad taste in her mouth. Well, this past February her husband passed away. Missionaries didn't come by for a while. Karen moved in. Finally, Sister Burgess and I felt like we should go visit Sister Eggleston and begin teaching her the missionary lessons. Karen said that she would like to join the lessons as well. We've been teaching them, the Spirit's been strong. Karen said that she will be baptized when she knows it's true, etc. Well, this last lesson we brought up the temple, because of the Spirit to be honest, and we found out that Sister Eggleston has suddenly felt a change of heart and would like to possibly go through the temple! That's AMAZING! She asked if she could be sealed to her husband. We affirmed that yes, she could definitely be sealed to her husband. It was to amazing.

We had exchanged this week which was really great. I really needed it. And I loved the Sister I went on exchanges with. She's going to go to BYU-I after the mission and that made me somewhat excited, because basically everyone in our mission is going to go to Utah State. 

Saturday we Stake Conference, which was forever away, but really great. First off, I got to see Sister Andrus and Sister Jones (that was a blessing!) and the talks were wonderful. Someone from the stake compared missionary work to the beach. I will say, that's unfair to talk about in front of a missionary from California. But anyway, he talked about how the waves are like the wave of missionary work. Getting people to make covenants with the Lord and be baptized. And the shore was the temple. The lifeguard is Jesus Christ. It was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Last night we went to go visit an investigator and he wasn't home and I'm guessing his wife answered and she was NOT interested. We even had a team up and everything. Then we thought to go visit another pair of investigators we taught a couple weeks ago but haven't been able to get in with them. Well, we were in the same city that a less active family lives in that the entire ward is focusing on basically. As we were driving to the second set of investigators we decided as a back up plan to go see the family. But then as we kept driving Sister Burgess said,  "Should we go see the family first? They're the other way around, but maybe we should go see them." We then made the executive decision to go see the family. When we first got there it was admittedly awkward. For maybe five minutes. "Hey we're here interrupting y'alls night on a school night!" Anyway, but then we taught about the Restoration real briefly and asked the parents about their conversion (they're both converts). The husband didn't want to talk about his conversion because he's less active. Then the wife spoke. I had the distinct feeling that I should ask the husband whether or not he still believed in the teachings of the Church. I asked, almost afraid I might offend him, but he seemed fine that I asked and began discussing his feelings. We fed off of his concerns and I felt a sweet Spirit enter into their home. It was calming, and peaceful. As we got ready to leave he thanked me for asking the question because he's been wanting someone to ask him that for a long time. It felt nice for him to get that off of his chest. It was amazing because when Sister Burgess and our team up and I got in the car, Sister Burgess said she had thought to ask the same question but didn't want to offend him. I love that we come in pairs because any time I'm dumb enough not to follow a prompting Sister Burgess always makes up for it and vice versa. The Lord really knows what he's doing, even when dealing with 19-25 year old missionaries who are blind sometimes.

Also, I've learned this week just how much I sincerely love reading the Book of Mormon. There is a feeling of peace and clarity that comes to me when I read it. The ending of the Book of Mormon is so beautiful and significant. I love that book. I don't think I ever realized how much I would truly thirst from the revelation that I receive from reading the Book of Mormon. 

Anyway, it's amazing. Read it. Study it. And seriously pray about.. 

Love y'all ,

Sister Smith

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL

This week was pretty good. We had more lessons with investigators in this area than we've had in a long time and that was truly a blessing. There's a lady, I think I talked about her last week, I'll call her Mary. Anyway, she is the daughter of a member and just moved in with her mom recently. We taught them twice this last week and the Spirit was extremely powerful both times. For our second lesson we watched the Restoration DVD and it was beautiful. As missionaries, we see that movie a LOT, but I consistently learn or realize something new every time. I feel the Spirit so strongly during the part when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appear to Joseph Smith. This last time I had more of a realization that God's work does not stop. It is almost unfathomable to imagine a church, as persecuted and peculiar as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that has thrived and grown since its Restoration. That is just astounding to me. There's a quote by Joseph Smith that we memorize in the mission: "The Standard of truth has been erected, no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing: persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldy nobly and independent." There's more to it, but I love quoting it because it's so powerful and so true. His work keeps going, nothing can stop it. And the only reason it works is because it's of God. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here and no one would feel the Spirit. 

We had a lesson with a kid that is 15. His living situation is extremely poor. His parents don't really seem too involved in his life and he can kind of do whatever he wants. It was a very eye opening experience. It kept reflecting on why I was blessed to have been born into the family I was born into. My parents were smart enough to want me to be more. They didn't let me just float by doing whatever I want. Which, at the time, isn't always appreciated, but now I see. I wondered how I would have turned out if my parents hadn't been like how they were. Where would I be? Who would I be? Would I make positive choices in my life? Or would I just give in to my appetites? Then I wondered about why all of us are born into such different circumstances. Really, it all boils down to decisions. His parents decisions definitely are affecting his outcome, thus far. I think about mothers that drink while their pregnant, that's an innocent child, and it's very life is completely changed and affected by the mother's poor decision. And still, we're all God's children. I feel as if the Atonement covers more than I can imagine. When I think about people born into situations where they don't have much of a chance against the world, I wonder how it will all be in end. How much will Christ's atonement cover those circumstances? It's true, be the change you wish to see in the world. Nothing will be perfect, there are people making poor decisions everyday. We see it everyday. We go into their homes and see their living conditions, but we're there to help them. We're there to find the one. The one out of the ninety and nine. The atonement can in fact change their lives. It's sad because I think even members forget just how powerful Jesus Christ's Atonement was. If we focused on faith in Jesus Christ and how it can truly change people's natures, then we would be able to strengthen those on the path of forgiveness and healing. 

Anyway, that's my rant. I don't even know what else to comment on. 

Love you all,

Sister Smith

It was Labor Day....Hey there hey. I'm ALIVE!

Sorry. We couldn't email yesterday because we had appointment after appointment and we had team ups for all of them so we needed to take advantage of that. However, Wednesday mornings we're usually scrambling for something effective to do, and this week it had to be our emailing time due to Labor Day.

Last week... It was good. I can hardly remember it by now!

Tuesday was really cool. District Meeting really pumped Sister Burgess and I and we went tracting afterward. We did exactly our two hours and it went by faster than normal. We had extremely meaningful contacts and lessons with people and got five new investigators. That's the standard for the whole week and we got it in two hours! That was really cool. 

There are two less active ladies who just started coming back to church. We asked if they want us to start teaching them the missionary lessons so they can get their feet wet and feel comfortable with the basic doctrine. Both of them said yes and they live in a city that's 30 miles away from us, so naturally we normally don't find ourselves in that city. But we've been teaching them and I truly love them. They're both so ready to come back to church and they're doing all of the assignments we give them and they're learning so much from their studies. And they're better missionaries than most active members are! They're both planning on inviting friends to be taught the gospel and to come to church! I'm so excited for them. I feel like there is going to be a lot of miracles from teaching them. 

Thursday I had real Cajun food. There's a lady from Louisiana in the ward and she fed us lunch. It was really delicious! Then we had a lesson that night with two girls we met while tracting. We thought they were friends or sisters by adoption or something. They're actually dating. The lesson we had was SO spiritual and they truly felt it. We discussed it with our district and one of the Elders suggested that we remind them of who they are and their potential. If we remind them that they are daughters of God and he has a plan for them, and we teach them the "why" of the gospel, hopefully the Spirit will make a change. It's taking a LOT of faith, but it will be an amazing experience if it al works out. If not, then at least they have felt the Spirit and they know that God loves them. We talked a lot about that for the lesson and focused on Joseph Smith and the Restoration. 

Church was really awesome. All the missionaries were assigned to speak, but an Area Seventy came so we all had to shorten our talks. But his talk was really good and he touched on the Atonement and Grace and it was really inspiring. I have such a strong testimony of the enabling power of the atonement. I love Elder Bednar's talk about that. 

Monday we had dinner and a lesson that was so spiritual! There's an older lady who's husband just passed away and her daughter from Colorado just moved in with her permanently. We invited the lady, who's a member, to have us teach her the lessons. Turns out, her daughter's not a member and she would like to take them too! So Monday was the first lesson we had with them. We felt prompted to teach the Plan of Salvation instead of the Restoration. Also, they read their assignment, Alma 32 and to make this faith cycle thing. During the lesson, we got to the Atonement and focused all of our lesson on that basically. We talked about how the atonement can effect ALL aspects of our lives. It is something that can strengthen us daily. Well the mother had never thought of the atonement like that before. We read Alma 7 and discussed how the Atonement can help us even in times of suffering and heartache. We asked if they felt the Spirit and both of them did. We felt prompted to end the lesson there and we'll pick up next time. I keep reflecting on the power in that lesson and it's truly beautiful to know that God is watching over us. He cares about our struggles. I love it! 

Yesterday was great. Many, many appointments. The day went by REALLY fast! I love it. I love being a missionary. Sometimes I think about the day I'll speak at my homecoming and I think about all the feelings I have toward my mission and they're all very positive. I love that Christ's gospel has changed me so much. 

Love you all!

Sister Smith