Hello Family and Friends!

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

I'm Training!....Again!

Dearest Family!

I decided to get right to it and let you know that I am training a new missionary again. I'll pick him up from the mission home tomorrow and we'll tear it up on the buses for the next two transfers. :) I am so excited. Elder Binford is following my footsteps and is leaving Windsor to open a new area.  He'll be in New Market South and will also be training a new missionary. Like father, like son. As much as he hates that. Hahaha. He is probably super happy to leave and he will do a great job. Good times in Windsor with that guy. I am real excited for a new missionary. It is great to train. Good times to come. 

General Conference was so good. The only bad part about the weekend was that I had a miserable cold. Stuffy everything and a foggy mind. The wonderful talks were able to break through the cloud but I didn't enjoy the sessions as much as a would have liked to. There were so many good talks but I can't remember specifics really other than that they were good. Two stuck out. Elder Cardon's talk was fantastic and I am in love with President Monson's talk about obedience. As missionaries, it seems that all we ever talk about is obedience. So obviously this talk was "manna to my taste." I can't wait to go back and read them again and again. 

Things are going slow but well in Windsor. Things finally slowed down and I feel like I can think again. I am, once again, excited to have a new companion and to see more miracles in Windsor. I will now have lived in Windsor longer than I have in any one place for two years. Five months in Logan, a month in Orem, four in Logan again and then all my mission areas until now. I don't know what I'm going to do for another three months. I feel more at home in this ward than I do in my "home ward" It is a very good thing that I like this place.

I am out of time again. I need to work on my time management. :) This week was awesome and this next transfer will be great! Love you all, work hard and do good things!

Love,

Elder E. Smith 

No Time

Hi family.

We have no time this week so this will be strictly highlights. Sorry.

Monday was alright. We met with a long lost member of the church from Hungary. He is pretty sweet. I'll tell you more when I know more.

Tuesday was an adventure. The Zone leaders stayed the night for an exchange and then drove us to district meeting tuesday morning. On our way a brick flew off a truck and smashed the windshield. It was terrifying but we all survived. I'll send a picture. district meeting was awesome. I will also send a picture of my district.

Wednesday is not worth talking about.

Thursday either.

Just know that we worked hard but didn't do anything of note.

Friday was cool. I went on exchanges with the South Elders and also drove to Sarnia to interview a guy for baptism. That was sweet and really good to see someone who had changed so much and was so ready for baptism.

Saturday was slow but good.

Sunday was super slow but still good.

I'll talk about yesterday next week. :)

I am doing great and looking forward to tranfers and especially General Conference. It is a great time to be a missionary! sorry this was short and lame!

Do good things!

Love,

Elder Smith

Happy Easter!

This Too Shall Pass

Hello family!

You cannot appreciate the highs until you have endured the low. Last week we were riding a wave of success and things were better than they have ever been. This week was really hard. But true to form, God takes care of His missionaries. For every disappointment there is a miracle right around the corner. When we are obedient, God will do the rest. Never doubt, never fear, our Lord and Savior is ever near. 

This week, Cedric dropped us. We were planning his baptism for yesterday and he was really, really excited for it. We had the last few commandments to teach and he was ready. All was well until we taught tithing. He doesn't want to pay it and doesn't think he ever will. He didn't come to church and he doesn't want to meet with us anymore. It is heart-breaking. I don't think I have ever desired more for someones salvation than I have for his. It is so hard to watch people you love choose not to be happy and to receive salvation. Sigh. Life goes on. 

Deji bombed our appointment and has slipped into limbo unless we miraculously find him. Also sad.

But lots of happy happened this week! For the past long time we have been trying to get a sports night started to fellowship investigators and less actives and it has finally happened. The past few weeks we have played basketball once a week and it is great. Its too bad though because all these months not playing have driven what little skill I had into hiding. I felt pretty useless the first time and slightly less so the second. I can still shoot decently but my court sense is nowhere to be found. I feel like a chicken with no head. Enough of that! On to missionary work!

On Tuesday we were in Kitchener for a Speciallty training pretty much all day. We stayed Monday night in London (two hour drive) with the Zone Leaders and then drove the last hour and a half to Kitchener Tuesday. On the drive to London the Assisstants called me and asked me to do a last minute musical number...I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a big mission meeting without me singing in it. I'm okay with it because I need to share my talents but I can never just relax through a meeting. It went really well. Elder Baconawa, the Elder who did it with me, is sweet and had this amazing arrangement of "I Like to Look for Rainbows" that we performed. It started by him improvising while I read Mosiah 18: 10-11 and then we sang the song together and just made up our own parts. It went really well and the Spirit was super, super strong. It was a great meeting and I learned a ton. It was a really great experience. 

Wednesday was equal parts disappointing and happy. We got bombed and cancelled three times but during that time we found a new investigator and a super promising potential. The new investigator is Michael. He is from Ghana and us taking some classes from UofWindsor. He already believes the Book of Mormon is true and is praying about baptism. He wants to take it slow and is doing his research but he is real cool. The potential is Logan. He is from China and is super busy with school but really wants to learn when he finishes this semester. So in May we'll call him up and then baptize him. :) 

Thursday was when Cedric bombed us but it was also when we played basketball. It was actually really nice to be able to forget and just play for a while. I really needed to get my mind off of it to get the right perspective. It was a good day I guess.   

Friday was Distric meeting it went pretty well. I feel like I have got the hang of things finally and I know what I can and should do. Then I went on exchanges with Leamington and had a great time. I had a "realize how far I've come" moment while tracting. I placed a Book of Mormon and set up a few return appointments and was just feeling really good. I just felt like I knew what I was doing. I then thought back to exchanges with my district leader in Markham. We were tracting and every house he knocked on would talk to us and some even set up appointments and he made it look easy while every house I knocked on went poorly. On my exchange this week I saw those roles reversed. I got to see how the Lord had changed me. It was great.

Saturday and Sunday were okay. We only had one investigator at church. Shawna brought her brother Albert and we got to teach him after. He is super sweet and is a great kid. He probably won't get baptized for a while becuase his mom is a little opposed. Pray that her heart will be softened and that he will be able to be baptized. The rest of the day was spent riding the bus and trying to talk to people. The bus crowd is a tough crowd. :)

I am doing well and I'm lovin' this missionary thing. I am surprised by how fast it is going and I am hoping I'll be able to enjoy every last second. I know that this church is true and that we as members have secured our salvation as we strive to live faithful to the coventants we have made. I am so grateful for this chance that I have to serve the Lord for two years. I love you all and hope you have a stellar week! Work hard! See miracles! Do good things!

Love,

Elder Smith

I can't think of anything clever

Hello!

This week was supa sweet! I really don't know where to begin. The work is moving forward very well here in Windsor and especially here in our area. We are definitely rocking the buses. We have found a bunch of new people because we are walking around and talking with people pretty much all the time. Blessings sometimes come in weird bus shaped packages. :) This week and the week before have been super fun and I am really feeling great about the work here in Canada.

Elder Binford and I have decided that there are only three days in a missionary week: Sunday, Preparation Day and "Weekday." Weekday is all the other days rolled into one, because it all feels like one day anyway. So this past "weekday" was awesome.

We met with Cedric a few times this week and he is doing great...We may have to move his baptism because we haven't taught him everything yet. He also had a falling out with his fellowshipper and asked us not to bring her anymore. We will need to teach forgiveness for sure. He is the nicest guy ever but apparently he really doesn't like when people speak poorly of China. So that was super fun. He is coming to church every week and is really enjoying it. Such a great guy. We just can't teach him fast enough.

Something else exciting is Deji! I don't know if I talked about him last week. The South Elders found him last Sunday and taught him the Restoration and he loved it and agreed to be baptized. He doesn't have a phone so they just agreed to meet at the same place on Saturday at 1:00 and we'd be there to teach him because he lives in our area. So we went at 1:00 and sat there for twenty minutes, basically just praying he would show up. At about 1:25 we were ready to give up and were literally standing up to leave and he walked in the door! We met with him, taught him the Plan of Salvation and he loved it! He had been reading the Book of Mormon and he told us that he knows that it is true and still wants to be baptized. He came to church yesterday and enjoyed it. He slept through Elder's Quorum but liked the rest of it. We are meeting him again on Wednesday but we have no way to contact him if he doesn't show up...Exciting.

On Saturday I felt more led by the Spirit than I have ever in my life. We were in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions and I felt like an instrument in the hands of God. It was sweet to see God's work move forward as I placed myself in His hands. I love being a missionary.

In church on Sunday I had one of the most spiritual experiences in my life. I truly felt God speaking to me through the Holy Ghost and my testimony of the Savior grew . Then on Sunday night I finally finished reading Jesus the Christ. I felt so close to Him and I could feel my understanding increased. I took some time to reflect on where I was before I had started and after and how it had helped me be a better person/missionary. I can see and feel an incredible change in myself from the Elder Smith I was before. I think it helps that I started reading in my second transfer and a lot more has happened than just reading a book. :) I really can see how the Lord has changed me and shaped me into the person He needs me to be. I have gained a huge testimony of God's perfect plan for us in these past 9 ish months. I know that He knows so much better than we do and that he has prepared a way for us to succeed. God is so good. 

Thats all I have to say about that....Do good things!!

Love,

Elder Smith

Glad Tidings of Great Joy

All who have ears let him hear,

When we were told that no one outside of family was to send us emails, I'll be honest it was a real trial to be obedient. But we did it because obedience brings blessings and it did. The happenings of this day have brought me great joy.

Notice

To: General Authorities, Area Seventies, and Mission Presidents

From: Missionary Department

Subject: Adjusted Missionary Email Policy

Missionaries are to write to their families each week and are also authorized to communicate by email with friends, priesthood leaders, and new converts. Mission presidents should allow sufficient time on preparation day for missionaries to write emails and letters. While in the mission field, missionaries should receive authorization from the mission president before entering into communication, including via email, with converts and others of the opposite gender within the mission boundaries (see Missionary Handbook, 36–37).

 :D

You can imagine the excitement with which we received the above notice. Literal shouts of joy rang out when we saw it. There are a lot of very excited missionaries.

So now we can email whomever we want! Yes.

Anyway. Back to real life.

It has been a very good week. Lots of work to do and people to see. I feel so incredibly blessed to be serving in Windsor. It is such a blessed land. My testimony, especially that the Lord is preparing people for us, has been strengthened so much here. Probably my favorite area. Probably because I have served here the longest. :)

Tuesday was fun. Lots of bus riding and getting doors slammed in our face. I love it. I feel like I almost rejoice in opposition. It just makes me laugh. We met with Al and he is doing awesome since his baptism. What a good guy.:)

Wednesday was long. We had a training meeting in London (Ontario not England. :)) that was super great but took almost all day. Got back, had dinner and then taught a lesson with Mark and Linda. They are still planning on marriage...we'll see. Pray that they will get married. 

Thursday was more of the same. Buses and crazy Windsor people. I love it. We found two new investigators. Alana and Ashley, catholic high school students. Hahaha. I'm convinces they just think Elder Binford is cute but we'll see. :) They are pretty cool and are willing to learn. 

Friday was more of more of the same. Haha. All the days are the same. Ride the bus downtown. Talk with people. Walk to U of W. Talk with people. Maybe teach someone. Its great. I love being a missionary for sure. 

Saturday we taught Jim (Chinese UofW student from like January) and it was sweet. He really wants to learn he is just really busy. We were on exchanges with the new Windsor South Elders which was fun. I was with Elder Tsai. He is from Taiwan/BC. Great missionary. We had fun and he was there to speak Mandarin with our investigators which was nice. I am working on my chinese. Mostly I just know slang for "sweet" or "good looking" hahaha. I'll get it. 

Sunday was sweet. Al got confirmed and is doing very well. He just fits in with the ward now and is so happy. We got him a big quad with his name embossed and he was very excited. Cedric brought a friend to church and we met with her after and she wants to come again and learn more. It was a great day at church. Afterwards we dropped by some less active families downtown and talked with the always amusing downtown crowd. Sunday afternoons are especially entertaining. I love Windsor. Then while we were riding the bus home we got a text from South that they had just met with a guy from Ghana at UofW that wants to be baptized and he lives in our area! We keep trading investigators and numbers because we are working so close to each other. The work is really moving forward here. Yay.

I am absolutely in love with missionary work. I am so happy I have plenty of time left and I don't want to miss a second of it. I love this gospel and this church. 

Keep on keeping on everyone and do good things!!

Love,

Elder Smith  

Buses and Baptism

Dearest, dearest Family,

This week was so great. Well, mostly yesterday morning was great. The rest was not as great. But all the not as great is completely swallowed up in the wonderful baptism we had yesterday. It was seriously one of the greatest days of my life. But let me start with the rest of the week.

Tuesday we drove to London and picked up the new Elders for the Windsor South area. They are sweet and I am looking forward to working with them this transfer. So my district just got way bigger. We added two companionships to the three already so now I am in charge of five companionships and its crazy. There are zones that have six companionships so five in a district is a tad bit overwhelming. So now I am over the Windsor South, Windsor North, Chatham, Sarnia, and Leamington Areas. It is a lot of work and responsibility but it is very fun. The Elders and Sisters that I supervise are super great and a lot of fun. It is going to be a super super great transfer. Anyway...we drove them to their new apartment and got them settled. They then drove us back to our apartment so we could give them supplies and records etc and also lunch because they had nothing. The Zone Leaders then came and brought us to Al's for his baptismal interview, which he passed, and then dropped us off at a Shoppers (Canadian Walgreens) to buy our bus tickets...and thus it begins. We were greeted by hail and bitter cold winds. It was a good day. No one wanted to see us or talk to us and the weather was the same. Sigh.

Wednesday was better. Still cold but less exhausting. Which is weird because we walked like 8 km's. Haha. I'm down five pounds already. :) We had to juggle transfer tickets that only last two hours so it was stressful. "Let us be Men." Oh and Mark and Linda, the Christmas miracle investigator, might be getting married pretty soon. Maybe.

Thursday was less cold. We taught Al and set "our" investigator Devon with a baptismal date only to find out that he lives in the south area...I'm sensing a theme here. You'll see. 

Friday we got our bus passes. That made our job way easier. We can just hop on and off as we please now. We taught Cedric and he is still doing great! He is so sweet and is getting excited for his baptism. I love that guy. :) 

Saturday was rough. No one would talk to us all day and our appointments fell through. The night was better. We talked to more people and they were nicer and it was great. I needed that.  

Sunday was amazing. We had planned and worked hard for weeks for some potentials to come to church and five showed up yesterday! All of them are in the South Elders' area....That was hard. But who cares because Al got baptized!! The service went so well, the Spirit was there and the water was warm. It couldn't have gone better. He was beaming the whole day and when I pulled him up out of the water, I could literally see a difference on his face. The burden of sin was off his shoulders and he was free at last. I feel like this baptism has changed his life and mine. It was incredible. Man its good to be a missionary.

Well all the other Elders are done so I need to finish. I love you all and hope you are doing well. Do good things!! 

Love,

Elder Smith