Week Two!

Week 2: Bye Provo Hello Brasil!

Hello EVERYONE!!!!!! I love this gospel with all my heart!! Being a missionary is seriously THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER DONE!! It takes loads of hard work and dedication, but the spirit is so strong here and everything we do is so motivational! I love how we read and study the Book of Mormon everyday! It is seriously the greatest!(: 

Thank you bunches for all the emails, packages, and letters, it DOES NOT make me home sick it makes me so happy!! I love to hear from you all and see how you are all doing!! Okay so some fun and cool stuff about the Provo MTC, the MTC presidency all have been mission presidents in Brazil and served there....guys Brazil is just awesome, okay? Haha, I sang in the missionary choir for the devotional Tuesday night and holy cow, I can't tell you how incredible that is to hear over 2,000 missionaries sing songs. It is unreal. We sang praise to the man as a choir and I know that Joseph Smith heard us singing that song Tuesday night. I feel so honored to be a missionary and have this opportunity.  Everyone here loves you and is going through the exact same thing as you so it helps a lot! The whole organization of this MTC is absolutely jaw dropping!   The church rocks! They know how to get things done, how to make food for 2,000 people, how to hire the most incredible teachers, how to teach us a language in 6 weeks, man it just blows my mind! Obviously Heavenly Father is behind all of this, otherwise it would be a mess and we wouldn’t be able to accomplish all that we do at the MTC!!  I am sooooo sad to leave the MTC!  I keep thinking, “NOOOOOO, this place is like my home! When I leave I will probably cry!” Haha, but of course I trust Heavenly Father knows what is best for me and holy cow...I AM LEAVING THE COUNTRY PEOPLE!!!!! Insane! Woweeeee!! 

Time to get spiritual now.  I have learned a lot about representing Jesus Christ while being here and how important it is to have the right mind set.  I mentioned in my last email about Elder Bednar's talk called "Character of Christ." He talked about how being converted unto Christ is thinking about him everyday all the time.  I loved this, because there are so many distractions in the world and I think it can be so easy to forget about Christ.  There are so many things to distract us, like busy schedules and technology stuff. I have learned that thinking of Christ everyday all day, makes you feel closer to him.  It makes me want to be more like him.  It makes me more cautious of what I say, do, or think. Bednar also talked about how our natural man wants to turn inward and be selfish and say, “I want this!! Gimme that! What about me?!!” Christ would never do that, he would think of you and I before he thought of himself.  It doesn't matter what we want, it's the natural man that wants! We are here on this earth today to learn how to put off that natural man and turn outward like Christ would.  W must learn to have love and charity toward others. Bednar also talked about how whenever we see the word repent, to think turn.  Turn yourself back to Christ and repent of your sins and become more like him.  I absolutely LOVED this talk, it changed my life and I will work my whole mission turning outward rather than inward.  I know that this mission isn't mine, it is the Lord’s. I am on the Lord’s time while being on a mission, this is his work, not mine.  What an honor it is to have this experience!  

I love this quote, " If you go looking for yourself, you will never find it, but if you lose yourself in the service of others, that's when you find yourself."

We had another devotional that I loved from this amazing lady that served 4 missions.  She said that a mission is a gift that keeps on giving!  She said that for eternity we will be bound to the people we have served.  Never forget that when we are stressed, scared, or sad, if we could only see that there are chariots of fire and angels all around us protecting us and helping us.  

Everyone, remember that God placed us on this earth to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail.  I love that!!

My companions and I have been teaching an investigator and it has been so challenging, but we are progressing and we asked him if he wanted to get baptized and he said he'll pray about it! But now I'm leaving to the Brasil MTC tomorrow so I won't get to finish with him.  I'm so sad, but I'm excited to have new investigators in Brasil!! 

I love this gospel with all my heart. The Book of Mormon can help with any question, thought or sad feeling you have.  It brings happiness and hope into your life. Read Moroni 10, it's amazing! Thank you for all the love, support and prayers. It means the world to me!! 

tchau tchau!!! 

Love, Sister Smith