Sister Smith: February 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Week 32

Meet Patricia

Week 32—Feb. 29, 2016

First of all where is time going? In 2 weeks I will be out 8 months...holy flip!! Slow down MISSION! PLEASE!! Oh, and ps. It is getting harder and harder to type my emails in English so sorry if things don’t make sense or I spell things wrong!!

The baptism for Rodrigues was absolutely INCREDIBLE!! Like wow, the spirit was sooo strong and he is so ready to get the priesthood! I love him and his cute wife! She wants to get baptized but she has to watch her dad who is sick at home everyday all day (he is super old). So only one of them can go to church while the other watches him. But I know she will have the opportunity to visit church and be baptized soon!!

I want to talk about Patricia today!! We met her daughter, Caroline first and gave her the pamphlet about Joseph Smith and the first vision. Caroline was so excited when she saw the picture of Joseph Smith! Then the next 3 times we tried to visit her, no one was home or Caroline was gone. Then one day we had this feeling to stop by and see if Caroline was home, and she was!!(: We were talking to her when all the sudden her mom comes running down the driveway and is so excited to meet us! We were like haha who are you? She gave us a hug and said she read the pamphlet that we gave her daughter 3 times. Then Patricia (the mom) goes on and tells us about experiences that she’s had! The spirit was so strong and Sister Kendell and I were crying so hard. We continued visiting her and at the second visit she told us she had researched the church on line. She told us she like cleaning her house blasting the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She had been researching Joseph Smith and was telling us everything she has learned. Let me tell you this, she does her research about the church and she knows how to use the church websites. We gave her the Book of Mormon and she reads it like everyday and cries and is so excited! All her questions and things that have happened to her are finally being answered more and more everyday as she reads the Book of Mormon. She listens to the prophet’s talks on Lds.org. She is amazing!! We showed her the movie of Joseph Smith and through the whole movie she was bawling. Then after, she shared experiences that had happened to her that were super special. The spirit was so strong! She said all her life she has had special experiences and tried to tell people about them but no one believed her. She has visited churches and no one has been able to help her understand her dreams and experiences. She is obsessed with the church. She wants to visit all the church places in the US and wants Caroline to serve a mission. She already prayed and received an answer about the Book of Mormon. She knows its true! She had a friend talk bad about the church and she is already defending it! At the baptism, she said she saw a light shining in the water when Rodrigues was getting baptized. Yesterday, she visited church for the first time and the entire time she was so excited and saying “hi” and hugging everyone! She was crying during the lessons because she knows this church is an answer to her prayers and what she has been praying for her whole life! She is so amazing! Mom, I wish you could talk to her and meet her, she reminds me of you!

This week was amazing with Patricia!! xoxoxo

-Sister Smith

Sister Kendell, Caroline, Patricia, & Sister Smith

Patricia & Caroline came to the baptism on Saturday and it was their first time visiting the church. They were so excited and felt the spirit so strong!!

Baptism for Rodrigues, it was so special!!

The baptismal font..the pool! We spent 3 hours cleaning and filling up the pool beacuse the hoses weren't working. We had to used buckets to fill the font, but then the water ran out! Luckily, we prayed and we had enough water for the baptism ahaha it was stressful!!

The chapel in our church.

Our church was a house(;

Where we have gospel doctrine class!

Where people play soccer at the church.

Elder Yanqui and I on P-day eating lunch!!

Me with some homemade pastries with cheese inside!! yum yum

We found a lizard in our house when we came home. I was super excited!

I wanted to keep him as our pet hehehe(;

Monday, February 22, 2016

Week 31

Fasting + Praying = MIRACLES

Week 31--Feb. 22, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jennifer Schauerhamer Smith. The most amazing, loving, giving, selfless person I have ever met. My mommy is the most happy, optimistic, passionate person. She is a wonderful example of dedicating her life to the Savior, her husband, and her kids. She is my best friend, my hero, and my angel. I honestly don’t know what I did to get such an incredible woman for my mom. I wouldn’t be out here if it weren’t for her love, support, testimony, and all she has taught me. I am truly sooooo blessed and grateful for her. If you happen to see her today give her a hug and kiss for me...because I am a little unable to do that! I LOVE YOU BEAUTFUL WOMAN!!! Happy 36th BIRTHDAY!! You´re gorgeous! Ps. If you erase this and don’t post it on my blog for the world to see I may just throw a Brazilian coconut through this screen...(; I love you mommy! (Aleece and Ry Ry clean the kitchen for mommy today)

This week has been the biggest blessing EVER!! Everything is clearing up from all the stuff I talked about!! (: Okay so it’s been a little hard here in Caldas Novas because we haven’t been having much success. So 2 weeks ago Sister Kendell and I decided to do a fast to find investigators that can be baptized. Nothing was really happening but I wasn’t worried. I could feel and I just knew Heavenly Father had someone close that he has been preparing. Can I just say fasting and praying brings miracles, like it says in the scriptures when the sons of Moisah were the most awesome missionaries and fasted and prayed and then had much success. Woot! Woot!! So whenever we are walking in the street, and see someone in their house, I like to talk to them and ask if we can share a message. This week we found this adorable family! Rodrigus and Sisila and their daughter Carolina. Rodrigus is 68 and he is elect! He is getting baptized this week!!!(((: The Lord is always preparing someone here for us, in every area! We just have to work hard, pray, fast, and be lead by the spirit to find them....AND KEEP THE FAITH!! Rodrigus is so amazing. He said after we gave the lesson of the 1st vision he went and read the pamphlet all by himself and prayed and he felt the spirit so strong! The other day we gave the family the Word of Wisdom lesson. Rodrigus only has problems with drinking coffee, and he said “oh yes, I have heard something about coffee not being good for you, but I wasn’t sure. Now that I know Joseph Smith, a prophet from God, received revelation about this I will stop.” After the lesson I was like YEAH BAM! This is why you need to have a testimony of Joseph Smith in order to keep this commandment!! AHHH He is so awesome!!

We also were knocking on doors and found the most incredible lady!! She has a gift of seeing angels! I will write about her next week...she has shared some really special experiences with us that are super sacred AHHH! She is amazing! When she heard about Joseph Smith and saw the picture, she started crying because she has had experiences like this...SHE IS AMAZING!!! After she gets married legally, Patricia will get baptized!!

I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week!!

-Sister Smithie poo (:

My house!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Week 30!

I love Joseph Smith!

Week 30—February 15, 2016

Yesterday we were sitting in a members’ house waiting for her to finish lunch for us and we were watching the Joseph Smith movie. (the 1 hour version) Then all the memories of visiting Nauvoo, and the Sacred Grove on our family church history road trip came flooding back to me. All the things we learned about Joseph Smith, his personality, the little cute things he did for his wife, how he played and ran with all the little kids, how in tune he was with the spirit, his life, how difficult it was, and yet all the things he accomplish...AHHH! I turned and put my head in Sister Kendell´s shoulder and said “AWW why is Joseph Smith so awesome? I love him!” She turned to me and said Sister, do you have a crush on him? I laughed and said “HA! Heck yes I do!!” Joseph Smith is INCREDIBLE! A humble little 14 year old boy that lived on a farm that wanted to know what church was true...he changed the world and I am forever, forever grateful for what he did. He is being talked about all over the world...every….single….day. I love this man and I can’t wait to get to talk to him one day...and maybe hug him. Hehehe I know Heavenly Father chose him because of his pureness of heart and his love, determination, courage, and eternal faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ!! #mancrushmonday

Okay so Saturday was an adventure because Sister Kendell and I are in the last hour of studying when I receive a call that I will be giving a 10 min talk the next day in sacrament meeting. I was like, well thanks for the warning! Mission life! I talked about the importance of members in missionary work. It went sooo good!(: Heavenly Father is so good, he has been stretching me and putting me in learning situations, helping me grow and excel! The spirit was so strong! I will tell what I spoke on next week! I’m out of time! But the bishop said that I always give talks beautifully so that was nice of him! haha

I love you all,

Sister Smithie xoxoxox

p.s.

Thanks for all the letters and packages that you all have sent me! I love them all so much! (:

Monday, February 8, 2016

Week 29!

I'm staying in Caldas Novas!

Week 29—Feb.8, 2016

I’m staying here in CALDAS NOVAS!!!! Woot woot!(: I’m with Sister Kendell and the Elders here in our district for another transfer!! I’m very happy and excited! Transfers are hard. You finally get used to your companion and love them. You fall in love with the members and the ward. You get to know the area better...and then all the sudden someone tells you to pack up and go somewhere else....hehe(; I’m happy I’m here for another transfer!!(:

Okay, so this week I have a little problem on my arm...don’t worry it is getting better...but sweet members Cosme and Damian are super worried and like to look at my arm haha. When we visited Cosme in his house and he was saying the closing prayer...oh my word, it was the cutest thing ever!! Cosme said, “please bless Sister Smith´s arm that it will get better, that she will be healthy and that all will be well because I love her and am so grateful for her.” Then he said “Father, how is my bunny doing up there?” (Cosme’s rabbit died a couple weeks ago) “you taking good care of her?” Oh my word! I was smiling during the entire prayer! I wanted to give that cute kiddo a big hug! haha(: But I can’t hehe! It was literally the sweetest thing. I was holding back tears. Cosmes prayers are so sincere.

So yesterday Sister Kendell and I didn’t have 1 investigator in sacrament meeting. It was a little disappointing. But when we got to church, the chapel was FILLED! It’s never filled, like there aren’t enough members attending each week to have a chapel. So we meet in this house, with a swimming pool as the fount, it’s super humble and special. But anyway, I was so excited that so many people were there! The Elders had 7 investigators and instead of being jealous, I was super happy for them! I bore my testimony and the spirit was so strong! I was extremely emotional and was blessed with the gift of tongues. It is real! Okay, first of all, it’s hard to get in front of people and share your testimony, and second, try it in a different language. You need the spirit with you and you have to have lots of faith! It was special! These moments are when I grow the most!!

-Sister Smith