Alma 7:23-24

"I feel so boring because I usually have such a dramatic story to tell about my past week but really I had a perfect missionary week. Nothing crazy happened but hundreds of good things happened.

-I got a new companion. She's from Florida. She's 19, nice, kind, and a great teacher. I love being companions with her. I miss my cute little Mexican sidekick but it'll be okay.

- We brought a member to a lesson and pulled up and she says "This is my brother's house." Turns out we are teaching her life long friends! Miracle of miracles!

-We got a referral. To be honest I'll take all referrals but I've never had a great referral. We contacted this family and we talk to the mom. It was kind of weird because one second she would act super interested but then the next she would tell us that she's just doing this for her friend. When we are leaving the couple walks out with us closes the door and says, "Just so you know; we want to convert. We were just acting cool, because our mother in law will be really upset but we are looking to becoming members." WHAT A MIRACLE!

-We had a ward party and because I've been in the same area since September I know all the members and they all make me feel so loved.

- We walked to church with our investigator and her 2 daughters. I held hands with the 4 year old daughter the whole way. During the day the four year old said "You`re cuter than her" (I'm cuter than my companion), "Who's your boyfriend?" "What does friends mean?" "Sister Smith, I want to be a missionary." I LOVE FOUR YEAR OLDS.

- A less active called us, and said that she's been less active for a number of years but would really like to come back to church and asked when we could come over and invite her to church.

- We had 5 investigators at church, and it was ward conference so it was a spiritual dream.

- We got a ten in clean checks.

It was just a great, great, great week. To a missionary it would be a dream but to a normal person it sounds boring. Sorry, but you get the point where being exactly obedient and teaching lessons is the best thing. Life is great! I love being a missionary! I love life and I love the Lord." 

Genesis 7:11

"Happy Birthday to me, and happy 10 month mark to me! Yup, I have been on the mission for ten months, and I have been in the world for 22 years. Time flies! Things have been a little weird over here in Sunrise Manor, usually people just welcome us in with open arms and want to get baptized but lately everyone invites us to their house and then they aren't home. So we have just been praying and working hard. One morning this week we are just wrapping up studies and a member calls us. She says "There are some people at my house that want to talk to you. Will you please come over?" So we praised the heavens because it's a missionaries dream to have a member refer someone. We get there and meet this really nice couple. Then we sit down to talk to them. They tell us that their aunt is going to do baptism for the dead and they would really like to learn more about that. We explain that we would like to start with a prayer. The man quickly says that he would love to say the prayer. In the prayer he says "Please bless us Lord that this won't lead to confrontation and that we'll be able to get along." Massive red light right there. Then I turned to 1 Corinthians 15 and explain how one of Apostles duties is to keep the teachings of the church pure. In this chapter Paul is telling the people that they've changed the doctrine and we explain that he is clearly teaching the people that they've changed the doctrine of baptism for the dead. The man quickly dismissed that because he knew that we were right. He then turns to Titus. This is when things got heated for him. He starts reading all to us about false teachers and about how young women need to just listen and not speak. He has this new age bible that is all changed. It clearly has been changed. He has two different kinds of Bibles on the table. Then he made me read out of the Bible where it says that we can't change or add to the scriptures and then pointed to my scriptures and says "You added." Let me just say the Book of Mormon is not changing or adding to the Bible. They are two separate books of holy scripture. Then this man had the nerve to go off, and say that clearly my parents don't love me if they would let me come all the way to Vegas where anyone could just attack me. We just sat there without a expression on our faces. Then he went off trying to ask me the day that I was saved, what was the date? He was really nervous for me that I couldn't think of a single date that I was "saved." In closing we just bore our testimony with all the power and authority that we could muster and then I prayed. In the prayer it was so funny because words just came out. I was saying how thankful we are for the Book of Mormon and a living prophet; all the things that he just bashed. 

So that was the craziest thing that happened this week. I wish I could have recorded it so I could tell you all in greater detail how insane it was but my testimony grew from that like none other. First I was so happy that he pointed out to me that my parents love the Lord more than they are worried about my safety. Also that my parents love our Savior and the sacrifice He made for us more than being so stressed about keeping their child home. That they have such a pure love of the gospel that they knew that it was more important for their daughter to share that with people. So thank you crazy man. Also thank you for reinforcing my testimony of the living prophet, and the need to follow he's guidance. Thank you for making me realize just how grateful I am for the Book of Mormon; that it hasn't been changed by people, that it's pure, and people can't change it how ever they want. Thank you for the Spirit that just takes over and lets me bear my testimony with every ounce of the gift of Holy Ghost that I have and for letting me realize just how powerful that gift is. So in closing: the church is so true! So, so, so, true!"

Matthew 26:41

This week I learned something. I learned that it's so true that the spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak. Being on a mission is hard for me because to be honest I am use to everyone just liking me and for people to always be impressed by me. I've got an ego. But on a mission everyone I walk up to is like "No, I'm Christian." We also have goals that we have to strive to meet every week and sometimes you just don't make those and then that makes me feel bad. In the end though I didn't come on a mission for numbers I came because I love the Savior. But yeah the spirit is willing but we are people and we are going to fall short a lot.

It was a hilariously weird week. First we got food poisoning. We ate this food that pretty much looked like they boiled half a baby pig and then added spices and lots, lots, lots, and lots of salt to it. There was all sorts of bones and bits and even hair and skin. We just downed the hatch and got sick. Then they made us eat half a pie each. I feel like a hit a huge mission milestone by getting food poisoning. I ran over a gopher on accident. I was so upset that I committed murder on my mission. I also felt bad because that was probably the only gopher in all of Las Vegas and I killed it. My companion hates animals so she just told me to move on. All the members think that I should have permission to watch Olympics because it's the one time that I can be truly proud to be Canadian. I got a cut.We hung out at a senior home that is for people who would be homeless is they didn't live there. It was interesting.

But it was also a great week in that we taught this super nice less active family who missionaries have been trying to meet for years. I just love less actives so much. We had a lesson cancel so we went to a referral and she opened right up and we  taught her the greatest lesson. I felt so strongly of Heavenly Father's love for her. I feel bad because when you know the lessons it's easy to just say the lesson but with her I decided that I was going to try so hard to apply it to her. It was such a great lesson. The Spirit was on fire and I just felt so guided in what to say.  We taught two of my favorite excommunicated people.

My companion and I get along great. She is Mexican, and so most of our day is spent with her practicing English and with me trying to explain what my weird words me. She now says "That is a sick joke," and "I look hideous." I feel like a proud mom when I teach her how to talk like a cool kid." 

Mormon 1:1

It was a great week here in Vegas. We found some great people to teach and the weather is as great as ever. I started to wear sunscreen again. 

We found a young family that really wants their children to be good people and we found a cute 71 year old women to teach. I really love my area. I have been in the same area for 6 months so I know where I am going and I know all the members. I just love everything about this place. It was weird because I never thought that I would fall in love with Vegas just because it's Vegas but now I look out and I am madly in love; especially with Sunrise Manor where I am currently serving.  

This week was great! My favorite moment was when my companion and I were talking to this Spanish man. Now, I don't speak Spanish in the slightest but it's pretty cool because my companion talks to everyone and I just smile my smile and they ask for the missionaries to come back. This one man wanted us to sit down to talk to him and so I agreed because my companion is in heaven whenever she gets to speak Spanish. In the midst of the conversation she turns to me and says "Do you want to say something?" Umm, yeah, yeah I want to say something. So I listened to the Spirit really hard and I talked and my companion translated it. I have been a missionary for almost 10 months so I have go to things to say and I don't really have to focus so hard on what I am saying so it was a great experience to just listen to the Spirit and say what the Lord put into my heart. 

I had some pretty interesting conversations about the Book of Mormon this week. When people ask me what the Book of Mormon is I say "The Book of Mormon is comparable to the Bible. The Bible is a record of God's dealings with His children in the Middle East and the Book of Mormon is a record of Gods dealing with His children in ancient America." Simple. But people have very varying views on what the Book of Mormon is. One false idea is that the Book of Mormon is the same as the Bible... nope, they are comparable and they compliment and complete each other (like a good couple) but they are not the same. Then other people think that the Book of Mormon is suppose to say something that the Bible doesn't. No,God isn't the author of confusion. Some people think that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon but that isn't true either. He just translated it by the power of God. There is a lot of confusion about what the Book of Mormon is but my favorite explanation is the title "The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ." How perfect is that? My testimony of the Book of Mormon has really grown on my mission. I think I lived my whole life totally unaware with how incredible the Book of Mormon is. It's the pure word of God, it hasn't been changed by man. That blows my mind especially in this world when everything is changed. But mostly I just love that it teaches us the fullness of the gospel and teaches us more about Christ than any other book. It's just the greatest thing. Love the Book of Mormon, and I love you."