August 4, 2009
Dear family - the fabulous smith's-BOY OH BOY- where do I start? I can't believe my email got erased!! I had a fabulous letter written and was thinking that to myself and "poof" - PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL & A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE DESTRUCTION. I will try my hardest NOT to think that again so no more letters get erased! Life here in Indiana is going great and I really appreciate your letters! About letter writing - once a week, 2 times a week, every other day, every day - WHATEVER YOU WANT IS PERFECT-O!! I will love whatever you choose and be VERY grateful!! I love getting letters and I'm always excited when I see one - but they sometimes make me homesick - that's getting better though!!
- To start off - funny story *a LA member was asking me how to bake a squash that he was given, so I told him and he said he's inviting us over for squash with cinnamon and brown sugar - which should be interesting!! But they really funny thing is that the people here don't say squash - they say "SQARSH"! They do it for quite a few things - another one is this "I've got to WARSH my dishes" It makes me laugh every time it happens - I'm not sure if it's a New Castle thing or an Indianan accent - I think it is all over Indiana. I might come back with a hilarious accent and vocabulary. "I've got to WARSH me a couple three of them POTATAS!" I can just see it!
- The guy (Roy) who's inviting us over for squash had given the previous sister some flowers that I noticed were 2 kisses wrapped up in cloth. We told him and he couldn't believe it! He had been given a GIANT basket of them and sat them on his porch! He gave me one and said "I have Sister Smith a kiss - no 2 kisses!!" and then he kept laughing and saying " I gave Sister Smith a kiss - oh I am so bad!" BTW - he's about 70:)
- Remember Earl - our only progressing investigator? Well, after our charity lesson - he didn't come to church and the next appointment we had he opened the door, glaring, and asked what we wanted. We had some members with us because sometimes he makes us a little uncomfortable, and he came out and told us that he was going to have to go back into the violent world and maybe kill someone or be killed by a bad man that was coming to new castle. He asked us to pray for him and we have been. The members don't think he is all there, and we're not so sure either. But it made us a bit disappointed to have ZERO our progressing investigator #.
- On Tuesday we met with a less active who we had a great conversation with. He said he's going to come back to church, and we made a deal with him. He's coming to church and we're going to sing at the church he works at ( sound system and drums). I'll let you know how it goes - I'm not sure how well "ABIDE WITH ME" and drums mix - we'll see:|
- On Wednesday we taught another LA who randomly burst out laughing in the middle of sentences and would start talking random topics when we were bearing testimony or talking. It was really weird - it's almost a joke when we talk to the district leader every night "what CRAZY thing thing happened today?" Sister Williams' house is FULL of smoke and Sister Oliver said they asked her if she smoked and she said she sometimes dreamed that she did - we're not sure if she's all there either - it makes for interesting lessons!!
- Oh, remember Jim? the LA who's beer we dumped? Well, every week after we sing and pray we ask if he has any questions - and he picks up his BOM and opens to a scripture "Oh yeah - I always have questions!" This week he opened to 2 nephi 2:29 and read it and asked what it meant to captivate. He usually has 2-3 questions for us just like that - we can't help but smile to ourselves - he doesn't ever read what we ask. He just randomly flips open something. It's FUNNY!
- On the last day of July we drove to some of our far away cities and we got SO lost! We were driving on the highway/freeway looking for a road that a member said crossed the highway. I sort of forget what OVER the highway meant until I saw it pass over our heads!! We went into a little town - stopped at a gas station - said a prayer and "randomly" asked a man for directions. He turned out to be the chief of police and got us right back on track! Amazing answer to prayer!! We finally found the house we were looking for and it looked haunted! It was a creepy 2 story HUGE red brick house and it totally looked abandoned! It didn't help that their name was BONE-wits! Actually pronounced BON-A-WIT phew!
- On Saturday we were looking for a former investigator and were tracting and we OYM*(open your mouth - talk to EVERYONE about the message of the gospel) to a man who was walking from the cemetery(his wife died 1 month ago) and we talked about how because of Jesus Christ he can live with his wife again. He tried to give is both a hug at the same time and Sister Oliver and I both started walking backwards down the sidewalk explaining. It must have looked pretty funny!!
- On the topic of hugging - also on Saturday we were tracting and we met a man named Ryan Cox who was asking us all kind of weird questions about our church and our beliefs. He's a very "EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY FOR TOMORROW WE DIE" kind of person:) Really weird(BTW - we have an appointment tomorrow with a born again christian preacher:)) like why pres. Monson's picture was bigger on the general authority chart and if he could be one of those guys and on and on and on (about 1-2 hours!). He invited us in (against rules/single guy) and finally asked us to sit down out back. It was going great and he asked were our church was and said that he'd maybe come if he could sit by us "pretty girls" (this happens all the time and we get so annoyed by it!!). Then we were standing up and he started to pot his arm around me to give me a hug, and I about fell over trying to get away, stand up and put my backpack on- oh, and I tripped over the chair too!! He got offended and said that he didn't want us to come back "because there were somethings we didn;t believe the same on". It was weird! At the first he referred us to his brother who we visited and set an appointment with. He called called to reschedule and then when we were 3 minutes late he called to see if we were coming. We thought he must be REALLY excited because almost No one calls to reschedule. BUT, when we told him we'd have to teach on the porch. He said that he'd read the pamphlet and he didn't have the same beliers as "the Mormons". STRANGE - it must run in the family.
- Guess what- I was asked to sing at church already!I sang in Relief Society on Sunday (FAITH IN EVERY FOOTSTEP) and play for myself. All that extra iron must be working, along with those few wonderful lessons with the amazing Sister Mendenhall because I sang a G without hardly warming up!! It was neat to see the peaceful looks on people's faces when I got done. Its an amazing song!!
- It's really weird, but the people here (if they listen) are interested, but they say "I'm content with my relationship with God". We asked our D.L. about it, and he told us a great analogy "Our faith/relationship with Jesus Christ is like space it can always go deeper.". Funny - when we knocked on one persons door they said "I'm not interested - me and God are pretty tight!". Its so weird that people can be content with their lives and see no room for expansion of improvement. I don't know about the rest of y'all - but I see no end to the road of improvements, changes and increases in faith I need to make!!
Well, probably the most life-changing thing happened on Thursday. I wasn't feeling too good and all we'd had all day was rejection, canceling ,etc. I just started bawling while we were tracting when Sister Oliver asked me what the matter was - I was so discouraged - and I was beginning to wonder why I had even come on a mission. It was BAD. I did a LOT of praying and write a huge epistle in my journal and within the hour I felt 100% better and had come to realize a lot of things - #1 that even if (D&C 18) the only soul I bring to Heavenly Father is myself - I've made a success of my mission. I began to see people as children of God and not #'s and doors. As Sister Oliver tells me quite often "ALL if God's children need to hear the gospel!!" (no matter WHAT they look like!) I realized that I was thinking more of myself than of others and that I WASN'T devoting all my HEART, MIGHT, MIND & STRENGTH (D&C 4) to this work. We had a great fast on Sunday fasting for us to be able to overcome fears, Follow the Spirit more and I fasted for help in devoting EVERYTHING to the work. Sunday and Monday were AMAZING!! Sunday we talked to 14 people and taught 6 lessons. But we talked to our D.L. and he gave us the great challenge of reciting the 1st vision on every DA(door approach). We had amazing results with that and following the spirit!! Yesterday we OYM* to 22 people taught 13 lessons, FELT THE SPIRIT A TON, and got 4 new investigators! It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!
Just like with everything in life, I'm So glad that I wasn't having success and that I was able to change and now see and FEEL the difference.
Random fact - I'm the designated driver and just FYI Matthew we drive a 2009 toyota corolla - goldish in color. Its a really nice car, but I'm having a hard time getting used to the smallness and the brakes... when I push on them they BRAKE great and I've given us a small whiplash more than once!!
I'm so excited for the upcoming weeks and months(and even years) as I apply the things I've learned, because I know that as I apply those things and learn to rely on the spirit more I'll have great success NOT in and of myself - but because I'm striving to be an instrument in the hand of the LORD. This is the most amazing work ever!! I'm so grateful that I was raised in the TRUE RESTORED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST!! It's a humbling thing to think of all the blessings that come from being a member of the church.
Yesterday when we were talking to the preacher we have an appointment with, we were talking about the temple and the high standards you have to live to be able to enter. He asked us if we hoped that we could someday enter the temple and live up to that standard. We told him that we already had entered the temple and it made me realize what a blessing that was!! Because I was raised in such a great family by such amazing parents. I was able to enter the HOUSE OF THE LORD and make sacred covenants and receive promises and blessings - and here I am in Indiana trying to devote everything to the building up of Zion. The church is amazing - and I'm so grateful that I get to study it everyday and testify to everyone that this IS the gospel of Jesus Christ once more upon the earth
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Well, U think that's everything (or most everything) I said in the email plus more. I love you all SO much and really, really, really appreciate your prayers, letters and love!! I love you all!!
Love FROM INDIANA,
Sister Alex Smith
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