3 Nephi 8:13

"When you get your mission call there is a "To Do List," of things that a person should do to help them better prepare to be a missionary such as read the scriptures for a half hour everyday, and study from Preach My Gospel, well the Church really needs to add one more thing to that list: "Get dumped." Our investigator broke up with us last night! My very favorite investigator. He's been struggling quiting smoking, but keeps saying that he is committed to he's date. We get out of dinner, and we have a voice mail. It's from our investigator. I don't think anything because he calls us multiple times a day. Then we hear the message, and he says "Hey Sister Smith, and Sister Worthington. I went to church with my friend today, and I just wanted to call, and say thanks for everything but I think I'm going to go to he's church now. I learned a lot from you. Thank you." He broke up with us over voice mail! He doesn't even have the nerves to do it in person! (I would have been hysteric if he would have texted). I calmly tell my companion to roll up her window, and then proceed to scream. I just yelled at the top of my lungs. Of course we had places to be so I am just yelling in the car about "He won't even get in the Celestial Kingdom now! He can't have access to the Atonement, because that dumb church doesn't have the Priesthood! The Authority of God! The AUTHORITY OF GOD!" So that was the hysteric stage. Then came the angry stage; "Sorry, that you have to quit smoking to be baptized, really we are sorry that that is so hard to quit smoking but guess what I am sure it was really hard for the Savior to suffer for your sins! I'm sure it was really hard for him to die on the cross so that you'll be able to live again." (Please note that I am not with my investigator but I am just unloading this all to my companion.) Then came the manic episode. I started laughing hard while fat tears just rolled down my cheek. Saying "No, one's ever broken up with me before!" At this my companion was  "not even a boyfriend?" So now I'm off on a different tangent saying "I always knew I would go on a mission so they were always more into me than I was into them, I would just let things fizzle out, and plus I was always leaving: home to Canada, or Jerusalem, or my mission." Then I wiped off my tears, and am currently happily residing in denial. I will not admit that he dropped us. I'm convinced that we are just taking a break, that soon he will call us, and set up another appointment. Denial is a great place to be.

So let's talk about the reason why I had such a dramatic meltdown. Well mostly because I love him, and I know that it's only through the gospel of Jesus Christ that a person can be happy, but also because I knew why he wasn't progressing. It's a reason why all of us don't progress at different times of our lives. Why Junior High was the worst thing of my life it's because he had forgot that the Atonement takes work. It takes work to feel the complete joy that the gospel brings. It takes work to pray every day, to read your scriptures every day, to go to church each week, and it takes even more work when you are working to overcome an addiction. But the fact of the matter is it's worth it! It's worth it to repent so that you can feel completely happy, it's worth it to read the scriptures to receive guidance that Heavenly Father wants you to receive, and it's worth it to pray even for a couple minutes everyday to have the blessings of heaven poured out on you. There are numerous reasons why it is worth it, but mostly it's worth it work hard now so that after this life we will all be completely perfectly happy in the Celestial Kingdom all high fiving. (Is it wrong that the thing I am looking forward most in life is high fiving my converts in the Celestial Kingdom?) LOVE YOU" 

Moroni 7:13

"This week was great! I hit my 6 month mark, so that was very exciting! I feel weird because it was one of those weeks were I feel like I just grew so much spiritually that I don't really know what to say because I don't want to spill the beans on my personal revelation. We are working in a new ward that weirdly reminds me of my home ward. My companion, and I are getting along better than ever. One of my investigators got baptized this week! That was pretty exciting! She is in her 50's, and has been through a lot to get to the place to be baptized. She understands the gospel the way that I wish everyone did. She understands that keeping the commandments makes us happy! That they aren't rules, but guidelines to make us happy. Her husband is also my favorite. He told an Elder this week "You should really think about marrying Sister Smith! She is so spiritual, and kind, she might be the nicest lady in all the church!" He preceded to tell him "Sister Smith will support you in all your spiritual endeavors for the rest of your life," and then right before we parted ways he says to the Elder "Also Sister Smith is a redhead, so she'll keep your life spicy!" The confidence boost that I needed, also during a lesson this week he interrupted and said "Elders, we are looking for Sister Smith a husband for when she gets home." He is the funniest. We had a fireside this week where a man sang "Redeemer, Savior of my Soul," and without shame I just sobbed. I just knew what he was singing was so true. That Christ lives, and that I can be forgiven, that I am forgiven, that because of the Atonement I have the strength that I need to be more than I am, to be the person that I really hope to be one day. It is just mind blowing to me that I really know that Christ lives! It also reminded me of Jerusalem, and I was filled with gratitude for how my testimony grew there, and is growing now. Needless to say, it was just what I needed to strengthen my testimony at the end of a trying week. God is good always." 

Alma 30:40-41,44

"This week I hit my 6 months mark. Isn't that the weirdest? I know it's probably gone so slow for all of you, because you've been busy crying about my absence every night but it has gone by so fast for me. So fast. This sound horrible but I feel like it went so fast because I'm the same. It's weird to me but I'm still the same person. I am WAY more patient, understanding, my passion, and understanding of the gospel has sky rocketed but I'm the same in what I think is funny, the jokes I tell, my feelings about major topics. Is that bad? I feel like my parents just did a good job at nurturing me to decide who I want to be before I became a missionary.

This week I came up with a new life motto. Some people see the good, but I want to see the God. I sound like a crazy hardcore Christian, but I was talking to this guy, and he said he didn't believe in God because he had a deadly brain tumor when he was a kid, and he survived, but some other kids died, so he doesn't believe in God because some kids die. I want to face palm him, and say "BUT YOU LIVEDDD!!!" He went on to tell me all these miracles about he's family, and telling me that "well, I just see the good in things, but no, I don't believe in God." I was like "Umm WHAT, that was all a loving Heavenly Father!!!" So no I don't see the good, I see the God.

I was walking through an apartment complex when I hear "Have you ever seen a cute missionary before? Heeerreee comes Sister Smith!!" It was a recent convert in one of the wards, talking on the phone to another older man in the ward. Then on Sunday they were talking about the Law of Chasity, and he was teaching. He used me for an example for modesty he said "What if Sister Smith went around missioning (investigators love to say missioning) in a mini skirt?"  And everyone died laughing saying "Then our baptisms would sky rocket, but they'd be for all the wrong reasons." Being a missionary is hilarious, and weird. Members quickly realize that I take teasing well, and then they just go to town. I love it.

Just found out I'll be with my same companion for another 6 weeks, so that should be a good time. Love you all."

Matthew 11:30

Everything is going so great! We teach, teach, teach all the day long. All my investigators are doing great, and I love them all. One crazy thing that happened... is remember Sister D? She brought herself to church a couple weeks ago and then we met with her and she cried about how happy the gospel made her.Remember her? Well, she hasn't been able to meet much because she is on call at her job so we decided to stop by this week. When we came to the door she happened to be coming out at the same time. When she came out she just started crying. She told us how tired she is. Then she went on to tell us that she is so tired because her husband hits her and how he just poured beer on her, so she came outside. She told us how her husband tried to throw her Book of Mormon in the garbage but literally couldn't do it. Then she just started praying. She gave the most thankful prayer that I have ever heard. She said how thankful she was for the sisters, for Christ and the Atonement and she said that she was thankful for the Book of Mormon even though she doesn't understand most of what it says. It was incredible! This lady who has every reason to not feel God's love for her or feel thankful for her life offered up the most heartfelt prayer full of gratitude. She didn't ask for one blessing. She then hugged us all.She told us how she is ready to leave her husband and do what the Lord wants. In all of this she told us our spiritual gifts. She turned to me and said "And you, you can just look at a person and they see the light of Christ, just looking at you  makes them want to be better." I don't know if that is true at all but I was beyond flattered. She kissed us all on the cheek, we said another prayer, and we haven't heard from her since. Weirdly I'm not worried. I know she will be okay and that she will be able to accept the gospel. So in closing everything is great, I am happy, and I learned bounds and leaps from General Conference. Life is good."