Week 31 - The Field is White, Already to Harvest

Miracles, miracles, miracles!! Such a GOOD week! 

Our part member family is doing amazing! Casey is set on being baptized the 23rd of February....even if it means living in his boss's house for a couple of months while Chris (the fiancé) tries to pick a day for them to get married. But Chris is trying to do her part too. She told us she received some much needed advice from her old bishop's wife about just picking a day and praying about it. She has a couple of days in mind, but still has to put some time aside to pray. We just continue to have members fellowship them and invite them to church. They were planning to come yesterday but Casey got sick with the flu (literally everyone is sick at this time of the year). Continue to keep them in your prayers! Casey's desire to be baptized has strengthened Chris's faith so much already! 

I don't know what we did to deserve so many referrals this week, but God is just so good to us! Our one referral named Evan is golden. He has talked with missionaries in the past and already has a Book of Mormon. Some elders found him outside and started chatting with him. They referred him to us (because Evan is in our area, not theirs) and we went over. He told us he already prayed about the Book of Mormon and knows it to be the word of God. We invited him to be baptized and he said it's something he has definitely thought about. We told him to bring that exact question to church to see if he gets an answer. And guess what?! He came to church and he's going to come again next week! So prepared! 

We also met a woman that goes by Booboo. We were out knocking around this one apartment complex and Sister Zhang happened to notice her. She was just sitting on the steps outside  eating crackers. We started talking to her and shared Helaman 5:12, talking about building our foundations on Christ. She really liked the scripture and so we introduced the Book of Mormon to her. We went back the next day to teach her more and she's now on date for baptism the 2nd of March!! 

Ok last big miracle of the week: we've been teaching this less active family even before I got to Renton. The parents are inactive members and they have two kids of baptismal age. The parents are hardly ever home and the kids were told to not open the door for anyone. They also don't use their cell phones, so we had zero contact with them for weeks. We were about to give up on them, but felt prompted to give it another try. We knocked on their door and they actually answered!  Not only did the kids answer, but the mom was home! We were able to talk to the mom about continuing to teach her kids and she was fine with it. She let us know that her husband's work schedule gave him Sundays off now so he could start going to church again. They only have one car (the mom has to take it to work every Sunday), but with the help of our amazing members, we found them a ride to church. They all came yesterday and the kids are back on track for baptism. 😊 

Literally so many prepared people in Tiffany Park! In just our zone area, we have found 104 new people to teach this week! It's CRAZY! The mission life is good and the sun is starting to shine upon Seattle again. Even though it's still pretty cold, the days are getting longer and spring will be here before we know it! 

Love you all and have a great week!

love,

sister smith

Week 30 - Tiffany Park Tender Mercies

Hellooooooo! 

Can you believe January is already almost over?! Everyone says that once you hit 6 months, your mission just keeps getting faster and faster....I believe it. 

Another great week has come and gone! We are seeing so many miracles in Tiffany Park so this might be a lengthy email! I forgot to mention this one miracle in my email last time, but it happened a little over a week ago. A member had come up to us my second Sunday in the area and told us about her friend who was going through a pretty rough time. She had offered the missionaries to come over and say a prayer with her. The friend said yes! Sister Zhang and I went over with the member on a Friday night. We had no idea what to expect. We thought teaching a little bit about the Plan of Salvation would be good for her. When we got there, we found out her family is from Fiji and they practice Hinduism. So cool! But also, we were nervous to teach anything. How could we teach the Plan of Salvation to someone who believes in several gods? She shared with us her story and what she believes in and honestly...each religion is so similar! They believe in a higher power and so do we. We taught about God's love for us and how we can receive comfort during our hardships. We said a prayer with her family and the Spirit flooded the room. She had tears in her eyes when we left. Last week, we followed up with the member to see how Mona (the friend) was doing. Mona loved our visit and she wants us to come back! 

We are still working with our part-member family. Casey wants to be baptized so badly, but he needs to marry Chris first. Chris knows the importance of marriage, but her first marriage continues to be a painful reminder of all the things that could go wrong. She is terrified to get married again and panics every time we bring it up. This week we brought a member to the lesson with us and she was a great help. She shared how prayer had comforted her when she was deciding whether to marry her future husband or go on a mission. We asked Chris to pray about marrying Casey to which she agreed. Sister Zhang and I fasted for them this week to be at peace with getting married. I know that if it is  the Lord's will, He will make it happen. But...if you could pray for them, that would be great too. 😊 

This week we had an interesting service opportunity. We got a call from another sister missionary in our mission asking us to go visit this elderly woman named Lucy. Lucy was calling and asking for help, but this sister had been transferred to Auburn so she couldn't really do much. We said we would go stop by Lucy's, who apparently is from Romania and hardly speaks any English. We found out with the help of Google translate that Lucy is living with her sister-in-law who doesn't like her. She won't take Lucy to the store and she won't let her eat anything in the kitchen. We ended up driving Lucy to the grocery store and buying her two loaves of bread! It was quite the adventure and Lucy is the sweetest lady ever. She was super grateful for our service and asked us to call her brother (he speaks English fluently). We hope to see her again soon!

This past Sunday I had to give a talk in church. It's crazy because being a missionary really helps you overcome any fear of speaking in public! I felt like I was just teaching another lesson and was surprised at how easy the words came to me. The Spirit is so cool! We also got to teach seminary one day and that was pretty fun. Although, it was early morning seminary so while Sister Zhang and I were having fun teaching about missionary work, the students were half asleep. Some were even in their pjs still lol. 

On Sunday we had our mission devotional at the Renton Stake Center. And guess what happened?! Our Russian friend Neonila came! So basically a mission devotional is like once a transfer and we invite all our teaching friends to attend. There's a missionary choir and recent converts come to share their stories. Four missionaries are chosen to bear testimony on a main point of the Restoration. It's one of my favorite devotionals we do as a mission. But anyway, back to Neonila! We haven't been having any luck with her lately. She has two jobs and is always working so we never can meet with her. One day we just decided to slide a flyer for the mission devotional in her door. And she actually showed up....with her brother! Also, they asked us what time church starts and are thinking of coming! God is so good! 

Today we went to the temple in Bellevue and it was amazing as always! I love the temple with all my heart and it's such a good place to be! It was of course raining when we got out and I didn't even mind. I've definitely learned to love the rain here! 

Hope you all have another lovely week and look for the good in each day! We only live on this earth for such a short amount of time, so why waste it being in a bad mood? Choose to live happy and learn to love the rain!

love, 

sister smith :) 

service at Northwest Harvest

Thai food 😍

my cute companion Sis. Zhang

 Sister Cowley again (one day we will serve together)

my baby/trainee, Sis. Waldron 

Week 29 - Church Leaders Love Seattle

Another week has come and gone! 

I don't know why the Washington Seattle Mission is so blessed, but we had another general authority visit our mission this week! Elder Kearon of the Seventy and his wife came for a surprise visit and it was AMAZING. Elder Kearon is actually my new favorite member of the Seventy; he is incredibly genuine and his comments were exactly what I needed to hear. As a convert to the church, Elder Kearon emphasized how important it is for us to really seek a testimony of the Book of Mormon. When explaining the Book of Mormon to people, we as missionaries tend to give the basic answers we learned in the MTC. Something like "oh the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and it's written by prophets in the ancient Americas." Now, yes that may be a valid statement, but will it really intrigue someone to read the Book of Mormon for themselves? Elder Kearon explained that when we search deeper and try to find what the Book of Mormon can do for us personally, it will leave a greater impact in the people we see. For me, the Book of Mormon has answered questions no one else could. As I prayerfully searched each time I opened the book, I found my understanding of our Heavenly Father's plan increase. I have been able to feel a deeper connection to my Savior and I feel of His love stronger than ever before. I have been able to understand the truth of why Heavenly Father lets good people suffer in this world. I know without a doubt now that He will never abandon us in our challenges. God stays in the same place every time; it's us that make the decision to move closer or not. I encourage you all to gain your own personal testimony of the Book of Mormon. Don't just think of it as another book, but as an instruction manual for gaining eternal life. Read it, study it, and live it. 

This week we have been teaching a part-member family and the dad is on date for baptism the 23rd of February! Please keep this family (the Clisbees) in your prayers! The mom is a returning member and they have two kids together. The parents are not married yet so we are working on that first. Casey (the dad) has amazing faith and he has wanted to be baptized for a long time now. He has already watched his two sons be baptized and he knows it is his turn now. The mom (Chris) was in a bad marriage before so she is worried about getting married again. I know that if we just build up her faith, she will be able to overcome this roadblock. We had a lesson with them on Friday night and we went over the Restoration. Chris and Casey both had tears in their eyes as we recited the First Vision to them. They are so prepared and I know they will make it!

We've been working with a lot of less actives this week. It's crazy because some of these people don't even know they are members of the church. They were baptized at a young age and they fell away shortly after. It's like teaching a brand new person every time. They don't even recognize the Book of Mormon or a church building. It's been amazing to find these lost sheep and bring them back into the fold. One of the less actives named Steve has made great progress. He got a suit last week and has been coming to church. We invited him to a baptism in another ward and he loved it. His testimony is growing stronger each day and he is always hungry for more knowledge. The gospel has brought purpose back into his life and it's given him a reason to find joy again. 

Well that is all for this week! Sorry I'm lame and have no pictures to show, but this week will be better! :) Love you all!

love,

sister smith

Week 28 - Renton is NOT Enumclaw

Hello friends!

I know I say this every single time, but this week has been CRAZY! We had transfers on Tuesday and I had to say goodbye to my little trainee, Sister Waldron. My new companion is Sister Zhang and she is the weirdest person you will ever meet. I don't think I've gone one day this week without peeing my pants because she makes me laugh so hard! She is such a good missionary and only has a couple of months left on her mission. She's from China and sometimes I have to be her translator when we talk to people because her English gets a little shaky. But she is amazing and I'm so BLESSED to be with her! 

Ok so now let's talk about Renton. Renton is NOT Enumclaw...in fact, it is the very opposite of Enumclaw. We are in the Tiffany Park ward and it's located right next to Skyway...also known as the most dangerous part in our mission. They won't even send sisters there. But I love Renton! The people are definitely not as friendly here as in Enumclaw, but we are still finding prepared souls everyday! We are currently teaching people from Cambodia, Kenya, Russia, China, Tonga, and the Philippines! So much diversity and I've never been happier! Also, our apartment feels like living in a hotel. The old one was infested by ants so they upgraded just before I got here...God is definitely watching out for me. 

Miracles of the Week:

1. We gave a card to a man talking on the phone and just a couple of hours later, we end up knocking on his door. Turns out he is a less active member and we were an answer to his prayer. He's been trying to get his family back to church and we were able to help him out. 

2. Briefly talked to some guys on the street and gave them a card with our phone number. Today we saw one of them in the grocery store and he recognized us. He told us that he just moved here and he was looking for a church. He asked us for our church address and told us he will be there this Sunday! MIRACLES!

3. Sister Zhang and her past companion were trying to teach this part member family last transfer. The mom is a less active member and the boyfriend isn't a member, but they have 2 kids together. The mom always cancelled when they would set up teaching appointments. This week a member told us to try and visit them again. Sister Zhang was skeptical, but we did it anyway. The mom opened the door to us and was super welcoming. We set up a return appointment and she told us how her boyfriend wants to be baptized! Some people just need a little extra time I guess!

One more thing before I end this....the rain storms have been crazy here! The storm took out our power yesterday and so we had no heat or light all day. I had to get ready for church in the pitch dark lol. Also, since it's Seattle, there is hardly any sunlight so we had to study with flashlights and candles. And we were freezing. I had like 3 blankets on me and I was still cold. I felt like a pioneer all day. Luckily, our power came back on last night, but the roads are still a mess. So many roads have been closed off because trees have fallen and there are branches everywhere. A tree even fell on top of our mission president's home and pierced through the windows! 

I would love to just sit here all day and tell you more, but unfortunately my time is pretty limited! I hope you all have a lovely week!

Love, 

Sister Smith

Had to say one final goodbye to our neighbor Henry

 Last time in the apartment

Sister Black!

My baby

 Sister Burdina

The sky never ceases to amaze me 

Week 26 & 27 - New Year = New Area

Hello!!

Wow I have so much to update you on, but so little time to do it! So much has happened in the last two weeks and apparently I'm a third way done with my mission already...umm what? Where did the time go?! 

Today marks two weeks since my beloved Italian companion went back to finish her mission in Temple Square. Sister Deruvo, you will be missed. Honestly, it was really rough after she left. We didn't know how to function and just cried to our ward mission leader's wife, Sister Callahan (my second mom basically). But then things got better and Christmas time definitely put us in high spirits. Last Monday, we had a white elephant gift exchange with our zone on Christmas Eve...there were some pretty odd gifts. I guess they make bacon and pickle flavored candy canes now?? Yuck! We spent Christmas Eve night knocking on doors, caroling style. We got all the sisters in our zone and just picked a couple streets in the area to tract. We sang to everyone and shared the love of Christ with God's precious children. It was such a good night. 

On Christmas day, we did our own little secret Santa early in the morning and delivered gifts to a less active family in our ward who didn't have much. Then we made banana pancakes and called our families. We spent the rest of the day visiting widows and less active members. We made sugar cookies the day before and delivered them to all of our friends. We spent the whole day just serving people and it was by far the most memorable Christmas. I've never felt so much joy and the time just flew by! 

On Thursday, we had a miracle. We stopped by our referral (Jason) again to set up an appointment. Usually, he is never home and we were kinda losing hope in this guy. Well, guess what? He actually answered the door AND invited us in. We sat down and he says "I'm not exactly sure how to start this...I've only been taught by the boy missionaries once." Sister Waldron and I just glance at each other like "ok I guess we are having our teaching appointment now!" We taught him the Restoration and when I recited the "First Vision" to him, the Spirit was so powerful. The first thing he said was "wow, that's pretty intense" so I know he felt it. He accepted our invitiation to be baptized and to finish it off...he came to church on Sunday! And he brought his cute 7 year old daughter named Ava! It was the cherry on top for this transfer! I'm so excited for them and I know the whole family will accept the gospel one day. Jason is a special soul and the love he has for his daughter just warms my heart. 

Ok now for some really BIG news! I'm getting transferred and so is my companion! Saturday morning, we were getting ready and our mission president calls us randomly. We were so scared to answer it because President never calls. He told us that our area is being whitewashed and we would have to get everything in order. Whitewashing is when both missionaries are taken out of an area and new missionaries are put in...so they have no idea what they are doing. My little ward will have elders now, which is so strange to me. We had to clean EVERYTHING in our apartment, pack, fix the area book, and say goodbye to everyone. It was the most insane weekend ever and also the saddest. Enumclaw is all I have ever known, I mean I spent 6 months here! It will be nice to have a change but wow, I'm going to miss this place so much! They have all become my second family and I don't want to ever leave them. But I'm super excited for my new area: Renton! It's in the heart of the mission and the complete opposite of Enumclaw. Lots of city and just below Seattle area. Pray for my safety lol. 

Well that's all I have time to write about! Have an amazing new year and remember to include Christ in your new year's resolutions! Love you all!! 

love,
sis. smith 

Sister training leaders brought us Christmas presents

 Making sugar cookies

Caroling (also, look at this house!) 

My girl Ava

Mount Rainer, you will be missed 😢

Meet Hazel, the cutest baby ever

 The Riendeau fam (sorry for the pic quality)

The Callahan's ❤

We look like ghosts