Hey Family!

Can you believe that I’m actually in Indiana!?! It’s so good to be back!!!!!!!! So here’s a little bit of what has happened since Thursday…

THURSDAY… the airplane ride was a little stressful. Towards the end I REALLY wanted to be off the plane… I was just looking out the window the whole time, or trying to sleep, which didn’t work… but it was good!! It was so awkward to be by myself, but I managed!! So when I got off the airplane in INDY, I was walking out where we got you mom, and I was looking around thinking “I have absolutely no idea who is picking me up… hope it’s someone I recognize!” . I was walking with a very friendly member who was asking all about the mission and everything… he told me that they were probably down by the baggage… so we went down the escalator, and sure enough, there was a lady I had never seen before, but she had a tag on! She is one of the older sisters… companion to Sis. Hubble… anyway, we got my luggage, and went outside to wait for Sis. Hubble, and I asked her if she knew where I was going, and she couldn’t remember, and so I said “Do you want me to start naming sisters?” and then she said “Sister Rich?” I about died!!!!!! I kept asking her, “SISTER RICH?” and “WHITE RIVER”, “ARE YOU SURE?!?!?!”. I really couldn’t believe that Pres. Corey would really let me go back!!! So we drove to our area, and had dinner with Sis. Rich and my other companion Sis. Summers. Then we went back home, unpacked… and then I had a lot of fun with the people who called that night… :) So Carolynn called when I was done unpacking (btw, they totally rearranged the apartment so we could have 3 beds in one room :) and we were laying on our beds, and I just answered the phone with a hello, and she said “Guess what!! I was just on facebook and Sis. Smith’s sister is keeping it up, and she said that she’s back in Indiana!!!!!” We started laughing SO hard, and then I said “Well, guess who you’re talking to!!” She was speechless !! It was funny!! THEN, the elders called later on and I just said “Hello” and Elder Carskaddon said “Hi, this is Elder Carskaddon, who is this?” to which I responded “Sis. Smith”, it was really funny because he said, “What Sister Smith?” and then I said “The Sister Smith who used to be here!” and he screamed!!!!!!! And for a very long time… apparently he was very excited!!!! :) It was really funny!!!

FRIDAY – we got permission to go to Zone Conference (the second time for my comps) and it was such a good start to my return!!! I was asked to play the piano for the meeting, and then some elders came up to me, and asked if I would play for the musical number, and it was so funny because I said sure, decided a time to practice and then walked away!!! I was hoping that they would remember who I was!! Because unless I know the elders… i can’t really find them in the sea of black!!! Oh, and guess what!! This is a first since I’ve been here (from the beginning) that I’ve known all the assistants!! Elder Snow and Stranski (zone leaders in New Castle), Elder Wade (who helped Elder Snow teach Ashley) and Elder West (my zone leader when I left). They are so awesome, but look SO tired!!! Then we met with a lady named Edie who pretty much committed herself to baptism! It was pretty awesome… but she can’t come to church until her husband dies (cancer), because she can’t leave him alone… but she’ll get baptized… we’re sure of it!!!! Then we had a really good meeting with our ward mission leader… the first in 2 months apparently!!! But they are starting to like us… they made us cookies!! Woo-hoo!!

SATURDAY we tracted pretty much all day… we taught 14 lessons and got a couple of return appointments!! Then we taught some twins Destiny and Dalton who are 10 and living with some members in our ward… and they came up to the sisters on Sunday and said that they want to be baptized!! So we’re teaching them and they are SO cute!! They (Well, at least Destiny does!) take notes and use them to answer our questions! It was a pretty awesome lesson!! But they definitely decided when they were done!! We were only about ½ way through the lesson, and they just stood up and put their chairs away!! Funny kids… It’s so much fun being a missionary!!! I love (or am learning to love) tracting… it’s so much fun to see people’s responses… sometimes a polite no, sometimes intense interest… no door slammings yet!!! Oh, we were trying a referral and we had a great lesson with him, and then when we were leaving the apartment building we talked to the cutest old lady who was 95!!! She didn’t look that old!!!

SUNDAY – was 8 hours at church… we get so tired just sitting there!!! But it was good!! We are singing in the choir because we sat behind the choir director and she asked us to come… so we make up about ½ the choir :) It was so much fun to see all the elders again… they are so awesome!!! There are 8 Spanish elders in the branch and then us three sisters… oh, then after church we went tracting until dark, and we were FREEZING because we weren’t exactly layered because we’d just been in church!! Anyway… we didn’t have any success until… you guessed it… the LAST DOOR!!! They invited us in and we taught them the entire first lesson!!! They have SO much potential… they wouldn’t let us set a return appointment, because they want to think about it… but I’m pretty sure they’ll call us… that’s what were praying for at least!!! So one of the hard things about winter is that we have to be in by dark unless we have an appointment… so that it about 6:15… so we work from 10-6-ish and then go in and have break and sit around bored out of our minds until bed… just kidding… we have so much fun together!!! We usually just laugh the entire 3 hours until bed...I love Sis. Rich and Summers so much!!!!!

MONDAY – was a pretty awesome day!!! We went tracting quite a bit… visited some LA’s, and went and taught a lesson at a rest home… there were referrals for 120 Bibles and they said that they wanted us to come and teach them. So yesterday we taught them about God, our Heavenly Father (we’re using Gospel Principles) and sang them a lot of songs!! Then the lady who asked us to come asked us to go up to the respiration unit...most of them couldn’t talk, but we sang them a song, and shared a thought… and so many of them were crying!!! It was such a great experience!! I love it there… then we went over to the Alzheimer unit… they were at lunch, but we sang to them in the dining room, and one lady was leading the music with her utensils!! It was so funny!!!
It’s so awesome being a missionary again!!! I love it here and know that this is where I’m supposed to be… I’m still working out some kinks… but I’m doing so good and continuing to grow in so many ways!!! Oh, funny story, and then I’ll go… so I had an (apparently very stupid) idea about where we could go and PC, and Sister Rich said “Well, apparently you’ve gotten over ALL your fears!!!” It was funny… a mission is so awesome and I’m really working on learning to forget myself and give my all to the Lord… it will be lots better that way… love you all so much… and hope you enjoy this FOREVER long email!!! :) SMILE!!! There’s no reason not too!!!

Love, Sister Smith