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!