Hello (Canadian for
Hello)
I hope you are having a wonderful week! Remember that you are
all children of God and that He loves and cares for you! There are so many
people in this world who don't know or understand this simple truth. Hold this
dear to your hearts and never, ever forget. We are his children and He loves
us. What a blessing this knowledge is!
This week was good. The hastening of God's work has slowed down
a bit which is good because I felt like I couldn't keep up for a while there.
But the work moves forward and the truth is marching on. It is a great time to
be a missionary! Good news! While I was in Brampton picking up my new companion
I got a chance to talk to the senior couple who replaced me in Midland. I had a
freak out session as we talked about the success in the branch. Over the past
few months they have had probably like 6 or 7 baptisms and I was excited to ask
them who. Turns out that I had a hand in all of them. Marguerite, who got
baptized right before I left, is doing great. She has since brought her mother and
her daughter into the church and her husband and son in law are well on their
way. They also baptized a family that we tried for ages to contact and were
never able to teach. It was so nice to see them and to talk about how things
are going. I expressed thanks to them for taking care of the branch and they
expressed thanks to me for "laying the foundation." It was very nice
to hear that my work was appreciated. Not necessary, but very welcome.
The work here is going well and we are keeping up. My new companion
is Elder Warner! He is from Taylorsville, Utah and is 18! He is super great. He
reminds me a bit of Ryan Rupper. Similar interests, same shy-ness but the same
unconquerable spirit and willingness to do what needs done. It has been a fun
past few days. We tried out our bikes. We had one bike that worked for a while
but recently acquired a new one from a member who moved. So through a
serendipitous series of events we found some helmets and we were off. It is
hard stuff. My rear-end is incredibly sore and I am tired but it is fun. Just a
little taste of what most missionaries go through. My heart goes out to them. I
like my bus. We used the bikes only a little due to weather and a chain issue
on one of the bikes. We are getting Elder Warner his bus pass today so we'll
use the bikes sparingly.
We are meeting with Shawna's friend and it has been really
great. Her name is Kelsey and she has little belief in God. She was raised in a
rough home and seeing the gospel change her already is amazing. We taught her
the Plan of Salvation and her eyes lit up as we talked. The simple knowledge
that we are children of God is a life changing truth. I am excited to see where
it goes.
I am loving the work
still. I am loving training again. Its selfish but I always learn so much as a
trainer and that is one of the reasons I love it so much. :) Good things
are happening and it is sweet to see. I will leave you with a spiritual
thought that I read this morning in Personal Study.
Proverbs 25:28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like
a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Often, especially as missionaries, we feel that the rules or
commandments limit our freedom and restrict us. We feel that God is telling us
what to do, holding us back or limiting our rights. This need for freedom and
thoughts that we know what we're doing lead us to break the rules and
guidelines set for us by our loving Heavenly Father. But when we break these
rules we break down the walls that protect us from the adversary and we lose the
protection of the Spirit. When we keep the commandments and follow the
guidelines we build up walls that protect us from the world and lay up in store
the blessings in heaven. We may feel that rules restrict us and take away our
freedom but in reality, they set us free from the bonds of sin and the
influence of Satan. Listen to God. He knows what he is doing.
Work hard, study hard,
pray hard. Build a good foundation. Feed the right wolf. Do good things!
Love,
Elder E. Smith
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