Hello family!!
First off I want to say thank you to everyone for all the love and support that I've received. I got both your packages! Thank you thank you thank you! Also, grandma and grandpa sent me some treats as well. AND Becky Sturgis is amazing and sent me chocolate chip cookies and tons of other things. It's been so nice to have those treats since I've gotten sick of the food.
So this week has been crazy! Full of emotions! Every emotion you can think of I've felt in the MTC. I don't know if I told you but I've been teaching this woman named Sharon with my companions. It's practice teaching but some of them are LDS and some are not. You don't know so you treat them as a non member. However, Sharon we know is not a member. She's from the south and so she has a strong personality and knows the Bible really well. I on the other hand, do not. She's gone through a lot in her life as well and says she hates God because she doesn't feel like He's been there for her. Well, we were teaching her the other day and after the lesson I invited her to be baptized. Bad mistake. She got so mad and started arguing with us saying she's already been baptized. She chewed us up and spit us back out. When someone rejects being baptized that's fine, but when they make it personal and throw it back in your face it's really hard. I kept my mouth shut as she was arguing because the spirit had left and there was no point in arguing. I cried the rest of the day. There were some other things that happened that day as well that just made it the worst day yet. But just wait it gets worse. We went to teach her the next day. We decided she needed to learn more about the restoration and Joseph Smith. Towards the end of the lesson she started yelling at us saying we didn't know the Bible, we had our facts wrong, and how dare we wear Christ's name on our name tag. She basically told us we should not be representatives of Christ. I was not about to let someone say that to me so...I bore my testimony. I have never bore my testimony with so much conviction in my life. I could feel the spirit surging through me. I told her we are not perfect teachers but that the gospel is perfect. She just sat there silent. It was amazing the spirit that I felt. I was so mad that someone had questioned my testimony. Don't worry mom I wasn't rude but I was stern and transparent. After that she said she would read the Book of Mormon and apologized hahaha. It was the most AMAZING EXPERIENCE. My companions after said I was shaking. What I said to Sharon was not me, it was the Holy Ghost. I will never forget that. They only way to teach is by using the Holy Ghost. Without the spirit I am nothing.
This week we had an Elder go home in our district. He has severe depression and couldn't take it anymore. He is such an amazing guy it was sad to see him go. That kind of hit our district hard. Missions aren't meant for everyone but I'm so proud of him and the impact he had on people while he was in the MTC. Oh also there are two Elders in the MTC who keep flirting with me. It's really annoying because that's not what I'm here to do. It's funny though because I just put them in their place every time they do hahaha. AND they're younger than me, which is really funny. All the elders in my district just found out how old I am the other day and they all still don't believe me. They said I look like I'm 18. Cool.
Jake got his wisdom teeth out?? HAHAHAHAHA I wish I could've been there! I tried to watch the video but it wouldn't let me on the computers. Dad and Josh I'm glad you had fun at youth conference. I wish my youth conferences were like that! Kels, it sounds like you're really busy. Keep up the good work! I know you're killing it in you're old shooool house. (megamind refrence) Mom send me pictures of your hair! I want to see it!
There's so much that happened this week it's hard to think of everything! The next email I send I'll be in INDIANA!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!! They're not gonna know what hit them. I love you all so much!
Love,
Sister Smith
First off I want to say thank you to everyone for all the love and support that I've received. I got both your packages! Thank you thank you thank you! Also, grandma and grandpa sent me some treats as well. AND Becky Sturgis is amazing and sent me chocolate chip cookies and tons of other things. It's been so nice to have those treats since I've gotten sick of the food.
So this week has been crazy! Full of emotions! Every emotion you can think of I've felt in the MTC. I don't know if I told you but I've been teaching this woman named Sharon with my companions. It's practice teaching but some of them are LDS and some are not. You don't know so you treat them as a non member. However, Sharon we know is not a member. She's from the south and so she has a strong personality and knows the Bible really well. I on the other hand, do not. She's gone through a lot in her life as well and says she hates God because she doesn't feel like He's been there for her. Well, we were teaching her the other day and after the lesson I invited her to be baptized. Bad mistake. She got so mad and started arguing with us saying she's already been baptized. She chewed us up and spit us back out. When someone rejects being baptized that's fine, but when they make it personal and throw it back in your face it's really hard. I kept my mouth shut as she was arguing because the spirit had left and there was no point in arguing. I cried the rest of the day. There were some other things that happened that day as well that just made it the worst day yet. But just wait it gets worse. We went to teach her the next day. We decided she needed to learn more about the restoration and Joseph Smith. Towards the end of the lesson she started yelling at us saying we didn't know the Bible, we had our facts wrong, and how dare we wear Christ's name on our name tag. She basically told us we should not be representatives of Christ. I was not about to let someone say that to me so...I bore my testimony. I have never bore my testimony with so much conviction in my life. I could feel the spirit surging through me. I told her we are not perfect teachers but that the gospel is perfect. She just sat there silent. It was amazing the spirit that I felt. I was so mad that someone had questioned my testimony. Don't worry mom I wasn't rude but I was stern and transparent. After that she said she would read the Book of Mormon and apologized hahaha. It was the most AMAZING EXPERIENCE. My companions after said I was shaking. What I said to Sharon was not me, it was the Holy Ghost. I will never forget that. They only way to teach is by using the Holy Ghost. Without the spirit I am nothing.
This week we had an Elder go home in our district. He has severe depression and couldn't take it anymore. He is such an amazing guy it was sad to see him go. That kind of hit our district hard. Missions aren't meant for everyone but I'm so proud of him and the impact he had on people while he was in the MTC. Oh also there are two Elders in the MTC who keep flirting with me. It's really annoying because that's not what I'm here to do. It's funny though because I just put them in their place every time they do hahaha. AND they're younger than me, which is really funny. All the elders in my district just found out how old I am the other day and they all still don't believe me. They said I look like I'm 18. Cool.
Jake got his wisdom teeth out?? HAHAHAHAHA I wish I could've been there! I tried to watch the video but it wouldn't let me on the computers. Dad and Josh I'm glad you had fun at youth conference. I wish my youth conferences were like that! Kels, it sounds like you're really busy. Keep up the good work! I know you're killing it in you're old shooool house. (megamind refrence) Mom send me pictures of your hair! I want to see it!
There's so much that happened this week it's hard to think of everything! The next email I send I'll be in INDIANA!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!! They're not gonna know what hit them. I love you all so much!
Love,
Sister Smith