Swimming Pools and Answered Prayers

Hi!

What a wonderful and great thing it is to be a missionary! Challenging and discouraging at times (everyday) but INFINITELY worth it. I am doing so well today and the past few days I am actually surprised. I feel good. What a great thing! I made a trip through "the valley of the shadow of death" last week with feelings of homesickness, rejection, disappointment, exhaustion and all that fun stuff but I am here to say that prayer works. "When sore trials came upon you, Did you think to pray?" Surprisingly, I did not. I just kinda wallowed. But as soon as I started praying, I felt better. My prayers for help were answered in the best district meeting EVER. We talked about the importance of removing distractions when we teach and how that can be more than turning off the TV or putting away a cell phone. Just as important is removing the distractions of disobedience and selfish thoughts and desires. Our district leader compared it to a tree. We need to prune the distraction and sin branches so that the good branches can grow. That was exactly what I needed to do. So I quit worrying about what I wanted and how I was feeling and let the good branches grow. No matter how hot and sweaty, no matter how wet and windy, no matter how mean the people get, it still isn't about me. Things have improved since I started to think this way. Granted, I am not perfect and I still have times when I want to quit but they are less and less now. I had an interesting thought yesterday when someone asked us how we felt getting rejected all the time. Elder Dite replied that Jesus got rejected over and over and He never gave up. So I pointed to my name on my name-tag and said, "This name might give up when things get hard, but this name never will" pointing to Jesus Christ. I taught myself a good lesson there. That I couldn't do this alone. It is because it isn't just my name on the tag that I can do what I do everyday. And thats true for every missionary. And every member. When we are baptized we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and so we have Him on our side every step of the way. What a great promise. :)

The work moves on. John is doing well but needs the desire to quit smoking. He is close and I think it might happen soon but nothing yet. Jacqueline still hasn't told her parents. Keep praying for them! Our investigators in Stayner are doing well. Samantha (tracted into her last week) has been terribly ill for a few days so we hope to meet her tomorrow. Nicole just got a job and is busy with that so we haven't been able to meet with her much. Usually I would be worried about jobs and being busy because they usually drop us after but she realizes that this job is a blessing from God and a sign that we are there for a reason. Score! She is great! We are still tracting all the time and having a fair bit of success. We've been teaching a lot more which is great and getting to know the area. There are a TON of retirees in the CW and they are nice but uninterested. They tell us no but will talk with us for a while so we have a couple old friends :) One of my favorites is Orville. He lives a few blocks away and we walk past his house all the time. He used to work at the docks and lift weights all the time so he has that used to be buff but now he's old thing going on and its awesome. He always forgets that he knows us for the first few seconds and is all mean, then remembers who we are and talks to us like friends again. So awesome. :) I absolutely love this area and the people here. They may be grumpy Canadians but they are my grumpy Canadians. 

Saving the best for last: Marguerite was baptized yesterday!!!!! It was amazing. She was giddy with excitement all through church and just thrilled to join the branch. We had an adventure trying to get the font filled. When we went to check on things before church everything worked fine but when we tried to start filling, no water came out. Nothing. The water was just shut off. We couldn't figure it out and tried and tried and still no water. I said a prayer that we would figure it out and hoped that the water would start but instead the Elders Quorum President just suggested we use his pool. Haha. Simple fix to the problem. My prayer was answered but not in the way I expected at all. So we had the talks and such at the church then drove just down the street and had the baptism in a swimming pool. It was awesome and a very memorable experience for sure. 

My testimony of prayer has been strengthened so much this past week. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to kneel and speak to my Father in heaven whenever I want. To have that incredible power on our side, helping us, is an unbelievable blessing. I had another prayer answered last night. It was 8:40 and we didn't know what to do. We had an appointment bomb and we couldn't tract because its too late so I prayed that we could find someone to talk to. On our way home there were two people out on the street that we talked to. They were probably the friendliest uninterested people I have met. It was incredible to receive such an obvious and quick answer to a prayer. I love prayer. Take advantage of this great tool we have and pray for help. I know that God answers prayers. I love you all and I hope school is going well for everyone who started! Work hard, Study hard, Pray hard. :) Do good things! 

Love, 

Elder E. Smith

P.S. Pictures!! Old pictures of my new apartment. Elder Kenning's "Birthday Cake" Our zoo trip complete with a 'Merica moment. And Elder Dite. Enjoy. 

P.P.S. I am so grateful for the love and support from everyone despite my shortcomings. I truly can feel the prayers of support and the love I get from the folks back home. ;)

Czech Phrase of the Week: "Back to Czech Republic...." This is more of just an Elder Dite thing. He is awesome and I love hearing stories etc from his homeland. He is great

Canada Fact: I can't believe I didn't say this one earlier. Bathrooms are "washrooms" Most signs say that or restroom and people look at you funny when you ask where the bathroom is. Haha. Canadians

Salutations

Hello All!

What a week! We have been working our buns off in our little part of Ontario. It must be pretty funny to listen to me try to explain English phrases to Elder Dite. I tried to explain, "Lets make like a baker truck and haul buns" and it didn't go well. I just got a blank stare. I love Elder Dite. He is so much fun. :) We are getting along swimmingly and I am so grateful for him. He really wanted donuts today so we went to Timmy's on the way over and bought a dozen and have now eaten all but two....ugh. I told him it was the best bad idea he had ever had. It was only $7 so I couldn't say no. :) Anyway....this week has been great. We are still doing a TON of tracting and just talking to everyone we can find. It is not easy but neither is life, amiright? We actually experienced some real success this week! We were walking back to the apartment and there was a woman out reading on her porch so we went and talked with her. Her name is Nicole and is really nice and was interested in what we had to say. Elder Dite told her that the message we wanted to share changed his life and she said "Oh good. My life could use some changing." !!!!!! We gave her a Book of Mormon and made a return appointment and when we met her again she had actually read!!!! That doesn't happen every day! We had a great discussion about the gospel and how it blesses families and we talked about the things she read and she shared that reading it had brought back the hope she hadn't had since she was a kid. She was applying the story of Lehi and his family to herself and had a lot of questions about where we came from, where are we going etc. It was awesome. We met again and talked about the plan of salvation and she really liked it. She wants to learn more. It is so cool to watch someone discover the blessings of the gospel and how it can help us. Keep her in your prayers!

Our little miracle is doing well. Marguerite has accepted the invitation to be baptized on the 26th of August! She is great and doing well. She is SUPER short and is really excited about being a member and is already planning trip to Salt Lake for the temple next year. It really was such an unexpected blessing to be able to teach her. God is good. :)

John is still doing well. We have a soft set baptismal date and he is working toward that. He is cutting back on cigarettes and is almost off coffee! He is making leaps and bounds of progress and we can see the changes already. He is also a super good baker. He always has little treats to take home and they are DELICIOUS. He made these butterscotch/sweet roll hybrid things and they were amazing. Oh the joys of missionary work. :)

Jacqueline needs a lot of prayers. She is still struggling to tell her mom and dad and that is really all we're waiting for. If anyone has advice or words of counsel for this kind of situation, it would be much appreciated. Just keep her in your prayers and hope for the best.

The members in both areas are really great. Between the two branches we had a meal every night last week. You're probably thinking what I thought, "Awesome. That is so lucky!" Yeah its awesome the first two nights but on the third when they tell you to keep eating and say "You can't be full" it gets tough. What a problem to have though eh? Too much food. We fasted this weekend and felt much better :) It was an all around good week. I am very tired but I'm pushing on. 

I encourage you all to study the scriptures everyday. There are very few problems, stresses, fears, troubles that can not be solved, quieted, calmed and helped by the word of God. As missionaries we study every morning. (Usually two hours but for new missionaries its three and for those of us with foreign companions its four hours!) and the difference between a good day and a bad day is how well we used our study time. When we read the words of God everyday, the Spirit is invited to be with us more frequently. There is always something to be learned from the scriptures. I was reading an article in the Ensign and it talked about three steps to keep our interest and "wonder" in the gospel alive. #1-There is always more to learn. You can never ever be done learning from the scriptures. Every time you pick up those books is an opportunity to learn and grow. #2-Learn by the Spirit. Invite the Spirit to be your teacher. We can learn things on our own but when the Spirit teaches us the truths in the scriptures, we remember them better. Always be seeking to learn from the Spirit. #3-Have the desire and put in the effort. You aren't going to sit down and have an amazing spiritual experience if you casually flip through the pages and expect to learn something. Study. Feast on the words. If you only have five minutes a day, make it the best five minutes of the day. Pick a topic and read all the scriptures in the Topical Guide. You must put forth effort to receive the blessings. I know that we were given the scriptures to help us in our lives. We can take the simple stories and learn from them and become better people. It is a simple way to improve our lives everyday. I love you all very much! Keep on keeping on and Do good things!

Love,

Elder E. Smith

P.S. Still no word on Dallin's call?! Poor guy. Let me know asap.

P.S.S. Good luck to everyone starting school today and in the coming weeks! What a fun time of year. Make it the best year EVER.

Czech Phrase of the Week: "Hunger is the best cook" This was said last week when we were running out of food before P-Day. I think I've heard it before but its cooler in Czech.

Canada Fact: The majority of houses have two doors. One in the front and one on the side usually by the driveway. Both are usable and that makes tracting tough because we're never sure which one to use. We have knocked on many a "front door" only to be told we're using the wrong door.....I don't understand. Oh well. Canadians.   

Luvs!

Ahoj! (Hello in Czech)

Ahoj!

I want to start off today's letter talking about what Jesus taught. He taught us all to be as a little child. I had always thought that He meant, literally, little kids. Humble, teachable, meek, submissive etc etc. But what I didn't know that is that "child" in English is "dite" in Czech. We could all be a little more like Elder Dite. Hahaha. Maybe that is a little overkill but seriously. He is amazing. We have a word for missionaries like him: celestial. He is obedient, hard-working, kind, loving and is completely devoted to the work. I am so SO lucky to be his companion. If I get home from my mission a fraction as spiritual, loving, and good as he is, I will be overjoyed. What a blessing!

The weather here is inconsistent and the humidity is becoming bearable. The first few weeks were pretty cool and nice followed by two weeks of extreme heat then it was just warm all the time and then the past week it has rained a TON! We're talking tons. On one day it didn't stop raining from when we got up to when we went to bed. It slowed to a trickle for about two hours while we were tracting (miracle!) but then went right back to it. I'm glad I have an umbrella. Poor E. Dite forgot his in his last area and so he borrowed one from a nice family we tracted into. Nice people. Not interested. :( Such is life. We have a little window unit in our apartment that we call "The Monster" for a couple reasons. One: It sounds like its growling. Two: It works hard and does its job. We have it in the only window it will fit in, which is in the living room area and it cools the whole apartment. I am so grateful for that little guy.

This week has been filled to the rafters with hard, hard work. We are out  tracting about two hours minimum a day and walking and talking to everyone we can find. It is incredibly mentally and physically taxing. On Friday night we were out tracting in the CW (Collingwood :) And Wasaga Beach is the WB) and pretty much every person we talked to was grumpy and very uninterested. Door after door, we were rejected and told to go away. I don't know about you but for me being constantly rejected isn't really a fun thing to spend time doing. It was late and getting dark and people were getting meaner and meaner and I was done. I had had it. So I said a little prayer and said, "I'm doing my best. I'm trying my hardest. I need your help to do the rest." I got a small feeling of peace but nothing overwhelming and we just kept knocking on doors. As it came to the time when we needed to head back, we had the choice to either knock on one more door or head back to the apartment. I have read enough accounts of missionaries finding the best investigators at the last house to know that we needed to knock on that last door. So we did and the lady that answered was super nice and invited us back to teach her on Sunday. I was so grateful! I really needed just one person to be a little nice to me and we got it at the last house. We taught her yesterday and it went well. She is very nice but not super interested which is a little disappointing. She committed to read a chapter, pray and we are going back on Wednesday to see how it went. So yeah. We have been tracting a ton and have taught one other lesson to a lady we met while she was walking her dog. She mostly wanted to tell us why we were wrong but it was still nice to practice teaching a little bit. Hopefully we will find more people to teach as the weeks go on. 

The work in Midland moves steadily onward. John is still hung up on the Restoration but he is praying more sincerely now and we are preparing him to be prepared to prepare for baptism. Haha. Basically we are helping him to pick his own date and to find out for himself how and when he should do things. Slow progress but progress nonetheless. Jacqueline has been busy with work etc and we haven't been able to talk with her very regularly. We are meeting with her tomorrow and hopefully she will gain the courage to tell her parents. She could really use some prayers of faith. Denise and Alysha are doing awesome. Still not confirmed but hopefully soon! Pray for them and their situation. We also have a new investigator! Her name is Marguerite and I don't know much about her. Apparently she had some close friends back in Kitchner that were members and talked with her and she is very interested in coming to church and becoming a member. She has been coming the past few weeks but wasn't interested in talking with the missionaries. In church yesterday she asked a member how she could get baptized and they explained that she needed to talk to the missionaries, answer some questions and then she could be baptized. She told this member that she wanted to do that. So we got a call this morning tell us to call her. We did and we are teaching her tomorrow! Such a blessing! I am so excited to teach and to help her learn the gospel. She seems really nice and it should be great.

Things are going very well. I am so grateful to be on a mission and to be working in the Lord's vineyard for these two years. I am learning everyday and I am growing so much. I have realized how lucky I was to grow up in the church and to be raised with the gospel in my life. Every time I testify about how much the gospel blesses families, I tear up just a little bit. I can't imagine life without parents that love me and care for me and siblings who set such great examples for me. I am so glad that we were able to grow together and that we can be together forever. I can't wait. It is such a blessing to have families that are strong in the gospel. I know that families are the most important social unit in the eternities. I know that it is in our families that we find the most love, support, and happiness. Embrace them. Turn to them in times of trial. Help them when they need you. Serve them. Love them. President Hinckley taught that he that saves his life, loses it. He that loses his life in the service of others, saves it. I know that this to be true. I love you all and I am so happy to hear that all is well and that you are standing fast in the faith. Keep on keepin on! I love you! Do good things!

Love,

Elder E. Smith.

P.S. I don't have a billion "P.S."s this time. Just that I love you and have a new weekly addition to the letter. Introducing......

Czech Phrase of the Week!: "I am going to sleep like kitty"  As we were walking into the apartment one night, E. Dite put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was going to "sleep like kitty tonight" Hahaha. I told him yes. I love this one and I am learning how to say it in Czech!

Canada Fact: Clear beverages are not allowed to contain caffeine. So that means Mountain Dew (which is basically synonymous with caffeine) is, by law, caffeine free. Weird, eh?

Oh! I have some apologies to make. First off, I need to apologize to whoever I am apologizing to. I forgot who you are. So....yeah..I'm sorry. So to whoever you are: I'm sorry. I broke our promise....(dramatic pause).......I gave myself a haircut.......I know I promised you I wouldn't but $15 buys a lot of food and I like food. Elder Kenning was doing it and it was so easy and I just.........did it. I promise it looks good. Look on the bright side, I don't think I'll ever have to pay for a haircut again. That's good, right? I'll use the money I save to buy you ice cream sometime, okay? I hope you can forgive me.

Luvs!

News, news, news

Hello!

Today's subject: News! First, the only real world news I get is what I hear from members and the tabloids at the grocery store. It is sad but true. (Too bad about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. I wonder who will get Suri ;) Ha) Also the Olympics! I am so sad that I am missing them! They sound awesome. Its rather funny because that has become a common excuse for not being interested. "Sorry. No time. I'm watching the Olympics. Did you hear that we won gold in the Women's Trampoline?" to which I reply, "No. Is that a sport?" Hahaha. So yeah. Canada is definitely a winter country. I'm still proud to be an American :) 'MERICA! Which, in other news, is not where my companion is from.

That's right folks! I have a new companion! Elder Kenning has been transferred and is now Zone Leader in Brampton. I'm sad to see him go but as always, God knows best. He will do GREAT in Brampton. What a great missionary. :) My new companion is from......*drum roll*.......The Czech Republic! He is AWESOME! His name is Elder Ondrej Dite (Andrew, I am not totally sure how to pronounce Dite. Dee-(somewhere between a t and a ch)-ay. Its awesome.) and he is spiritually on fire. Seriously. He is an incredible missionary and I've already learned a ton and it has barely been a day. There is a bit of a language barrier which only makes him cooler and just makes for more interesting conversation. He has been out two transfers, so we are both pretty young in mission age. He is 23 and tall and rarely stops smiling. I'll send a picture when I find a cord that will work for my camera. (the one I was using went to Brampton with E. Kenning :/)

Transfer day was NUTS. We were up at 5:30 to get ready and drive down to Brampton by 8 am. We got there did the switching and talked with a bunch of other missionaries. 28 missionaries left this transfer so there were a lot of goodbyes and pictures and it was neat to see them all before they left. I don't know a ton of other missionaries but I did see a couple of the ones I came in with and it was great to swap first transfer stories etc and just have the common bond. What a great group of missionaries. Because E. Dite is from Czech Rep. he can't drive. So I am now the driver! Which is equal parts exciting and stressful. My first experience behind the wheel after two months was a little disheartening but I'm over it. There wasn't an accident, we just spent a very long time being lost. Haha. I haven't driven a car in two months, I've been in the city of Brampton a total of about eight hours, I am dead tired and I am supposed to drive to the mission office on hastily given directions. It was awesome. We finally found our way and then got even more lost on the way back to our apartment. We ended up driving about an hour more than we needed to but eventually made it home. I think I may need to invest in a GPS. I do not like being lost. So yeah. Transfers went well and I'm still alive. It's harder now because I am "in charge" of the area simply because I have been here longer. Stressful stuff! But it will be for my benefit and the benefit of the area. God's plan is the best plan.

News about the work: John is doing soooooo good. He is working on praying with real intent and said he would be baptized if he wasn't hung up on the Restoration and the need for it. He is such a great guy and is so close! He needs lots of prayers. Jacqueline is still doing well. She hasn't told her parents yet and that is all we're waiting for. She really needs help and prayers too! The work in Stayner is slow but good. We are still doing a ton of finding with no results yet. There are prepared people out there, we just haven't found them. Tracting and talking to people is getting easier but is still one of the most difficult things we do as missionaries. But, we must have adversity to appreciate the blessings amiright?

Other News: I went on exchanges on Friday with Elder Hyatt in Orillia. It was so great! He is an amazing missionary. He is 27(!) and left EVERYTHING behind to come on a mission. He sold his apartment, cars, furniture, quit his jobs, left his girlfriend and went on a mission. What an inspiration. He taught me a lot about sacrifice and obedience and the nitty gritty of mission work, like paperwork etc. It was a great time in Orillia. I had an interesting experience there that is less than appropriate to share in a public sphere so......yeah. Ask me when I get home ;)

It was a great week! I am tired (surprise surprise) but loving life. More and more each day I realize everything that God does for us. He has his hand in every part of missionary work and every part of our lives. He guides us, helps us, blesses us and sometimes we don't recognize it. My theme scripture of late has been 1 Nephi 3:7. God will provide the way for us accomplish the things that he has commanded. That applies to everything. Serving a mission, keeping the commandments, obtaining an education. Everything. If we put forth the effort, we will accomplish anything we set our hearts, mights and minds to. That means sincere prayer, diligent study, and sacrificing our will for God's will. I know that as we do these things and set aside our will and what we want, God will bless us with the things we need. As we continue to seek to have his will written on our hearts and to do the things He has asked us to do, His will will become our will and we will want for us what He wants for us. That is when we become truly happy and effective instruments in His hands. The way is not always easy, it is a daily struggle and it takes daily decisions to do His will, but the blessings far outweigh the sacrifices. I love you all very much and I hope you are all doing well. Remember to pray and always look for ways to serve. Keep the faith. Remember that you are a child of God. Do good things!

Love,

Elder Smith

P.S. Congrats Vineyard 6th Ward! I am glad I am kind of a part of it! Who is the Bishop? What is Dad's calling? What do the girls/Skyler think? Who are the other missionaries?

P.P.S. I am so bummed I missed the Puckett Family Reunion! It sounds like it was a blast! I am eagerly awaiting my Got PEP? T-shirt.

P.P.P.S. Tell Ryan good luck for me! And let me know ASAP where Dallin is going. They are both going to be AWESOME missionaries.

P.P.P.P.S. I would love to write Ryan and other missionaries. I would appreciate a list of addresses in the next letter. The Stephens, Scott, Caleb. I'll let you know if I think of anyone else. But yeah that would be great!

P^5.S. Megan: I am receiving/have received your letters. As far as I can tell I am not missing any except maybe a post card. Also, I sent my letter this morning due to the transfer madness. So it'll be a day late. Sorry :)

P^6.S. I would love to see pictures of mission central and the garage shelf and the back yard as it gets done. I would also love hard copies of a couple family pictures etc to show people.

Canada Fact of the Week: Someone who is borderline the greatest mind in human history invented a Canadian staple called Poutine. It. Is. Delicious. Also super fattening and probably the worst thing for you ever. Funny how those often go hand in hand. :) Poutine consists of fries, cheese curd, and gravy. Oh my goodness. It is the best. The cheese curd gets all melty and the gravy just covers everything in warm deliciousness and it is.....beyond words. I have a problem. Don't judge me.

Keep reading the Ensign and the scriptures! There is personal revelation waiting for you. All you have to do is read.

..................That's it. These things just get longer and longer don't they?

Luvs!