Luke 2:10-11

"A very joyous, happy, Merry Christmas to one, and all! Let the Christmas bells ring I get to talk to my family this week! Emailing is all good, and well. Letters are a treat but talking on Skype, praise to the man! That tops all. I told my companion that I am never coming home because I am more spoiled as a missionary than as a normal ginger..I mean person. Now, that's a lot. My parents treated me as good as ever, but now I have all these members who feel bad for us because we aren't with our families so they give us gifts too, and bake goods. I'm far too blessed. One of my friends who is also on a mission told me she is happy to be serving a mission because she can focus on Jesus for once. Now take some time to ponder that. It's sad, but true. The world is really distracting but as a missionary we really get to celebrate Christ's birthday to it's fullest.

So I feel like understand the joy a doctor feels when he tells a lady that she's going to have a baby. I recently had the pleasure of telling someone they are Jewish. When I came into the ward I saw a member of the Bishopric, and thought "wow, a Jewish Latter-day Saint." Then I found out he's last name is Hartzell, and I just knew. So we had supper at their house, and I say "so you're Jewish?" to which he says "I am?" umm dot dot dot then he goes on to say that they don't know much about their family history, but he's always thought he was Jewish. I told him "well I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure you're Jewish." He was beaming. He said "this is the best news I've received in... years!" He turned to he's wife and said "you married a Israelite baby!" That was a highlight of my week.

My one investigator hasn't smoked in a month, and a half, and he is the sweetest. He lives in an apartment that is practically empty, but he had one decoration, and it's a glass Christmas tree. I told him that I liked it, and he said "You like it, you can have it!" and started to pick it up to give to me. Ahh bless he's heart. He has almost nothing yet he's willing to give me one of he's only belongings. I love that as a missionary I am able to learn from so many different people. The Lord blesses us to see the good, and I am just working on keeping my head above water so I can soak it all in.

Merry Christmas, I love you all, Heavenly Father loves you all, and Santa loves you all."

2 Nephi 2:25

"I've been out for 8 months tomorrow! How crazy is that! Time seriously fliesss by! I am sad but not sad at the same time. Everything has a time and place. Everything is going so great. I haven't slept through the night in over a week, and everyone knows how much I love to sleep so I have been dragging this week but I just pick myself up, pray a little more, and continue pressing on. I know that it was a good week but on account that I've been so tired; I really can't remember much. Oops, my bad. I wrote it down in my journal though. I do remember that I attended the most spiritual baptism of all time. I didn't even teach this girl  but I cried during her baptism. She's 24 and was really wondering what the point of life is when her friend invited her to church. Bam 3 weeks later; she's baptized, and happy as ever. The Spirit was so powerful throughout the whole thing and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. That was a highlight. Another highlight was when my companion and I decided to drop dead weight. We decided to drop all the people who weren't progressing, or weren't doing well. We decided to have the faith to turn them over to the Lord and let Him prepare them. Well right after we did that the one calls us all the time and really wants to meet with us. What the what. Sometimes I think the Lord just has us act on our faith before He rewards us. 

My investigator hasn't smoked in over a month, I haven't eaten candy in over a month, and I lost 4 pounds so whoooppddyyy dooo. It's almost Christmas, and I am happy about that. We created Law of Chasity game plans with our investigators. It was pretty funny. My companions was all virtuous like "no kissing until I'm married." Mine was more like "only kiss boys you are seriously dating, and only kiss standing up." ha ha then one of my points was to only flirt with boys I actually want to date, and she thought that was so funny. She thought that would be so obvious. Live, and learn. Life is great. See you in 10 months! God love you, I love you, and your mom loves you!" 

Moroni 7:45

"Hiii, it was a pretty great week! So many things happened that if you were a missionary you would be so happy for me, but since you are just normal people it's not as exciting. Like we have 7 new investigators! That is super exciting but it really doesn't mean much to you. Just know souls are being saved in Vegas. 

Monday we get told by the Elders that one of their investigators is in their area so we have a lesson and pass her over. We set her for baptism, teach her, get her to church, and then she tells us that she gave us the wrong address and she's actually in another missionaries area. So that was eventful. This lady could honestly be taught by a Sunbeam class and get baptized though. She's so prepared.  

My favorite investigator. The addict. Had a seizure in church. Right during sacrament. We were sitting with our new investigator, and we didn't see him come in. Then I saw him sitting all alone, so I was upset because the ward is the worst at fellowshipping. Then as I am sitting there so annoyed he has a seizure. Somehow I just knew. All we could hear was crazy sounds like a rabid cat was loose and some how I knew. I turned to Sis W, and said he had a seizure and sure enough. He is such a good person. Some men took him out and called the paramedics, and the first thing he said was "I'm sorry." then he was so funny because the paramedic asked to see his tongue, and he said "I didn't bite my tongue, because I don't have teeth haha" We all had a good laugh. He hasn't smoked in 2 weeks and is going strong!

So I think everyone's life goals is becoming more Christlike and one way we do this is by developing Christlike attributes. Well a crazy thing is happening right now. All of our investigators exhibit so clearly one Christlike attribute. The addict is so humble, the lady who is moving all around is charity, another is knowledge, and another is patience. It's insane to me how clearly these people show so powerfully one Christlike attribute. I think it's a sign that I need in improve all across the board. Right now I am working on repenting immediately. Like as soon as I notice I do something wrong then I say a little prayer in my head. So far so good. It's good because I feel better but bad because I notice what a sarcastic jerk I am. Good thing we all have time to improve." 

Mosiah 3:17

"Life is great, and perfect and I seriously fall more in love with being a missionary every day. Elder Bruce A. Carlson of the Seventy came to talk to our mission and he told us a lot of things that I'm not obsessed with. He talked a lot about how to be happy and he said:" 1. smile 2. focus 3. be obedient 4. work." He went on to explain that no matter what stage in life we are that those 4 things will make us happy. I for one love things being black, and white. I hate confusion, and so I love that he just gave us 4 things to be think about. (Even though really all I think about is the Millineum, the priesthood, and the temple.( Seriously obsessed with thinking/talking about those 3 things.)

I found out that I will be with my companion for another 6 weeks. I am so happy that I will get to be with someone I already love over the holidays.

So I am working on loving my investigators more. Before I came on my mission my stake president told me to "see them in white." i.e. see them in the temple. I have been doing that and it's incredible. I already know that everyone can be forgiven for their sins but seeing them completely changed and in white in the temple; lights up my life. It helps me to see the potential that the Lord sees in them.

I'm so excited for Christmas. I love talking about Jesus and Christmas is the one time of year that EVERYONE also likes to talk about Jesus. So that's a win win.

LOVE YOU" 

2 Nephi 2:11

"Everything is going so great! We had a very balanced week: new investigators, street contacting, a baptism, member lessons, less-actives. It was just a great all around week. This week my motto of "you get to choose to be happy." was really tested. We got a perfect new investigator.My investigator got baptized- side note funny story right there. Our investigator has a hard time bending so bending backward to get baptized was a struggle. He had to get dunked three times, and when he was finally submerged people started to clap. In the end he was baptized by immersion by the priesthood authority and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. So it's all good in the hood. Then my investigator called us and dropped us hard. Beyond hard! He told us that he chooses Satan over Christ and that he was choosing hell. It was super dramatic! It was actually insane! I felt like I was in a dramatized mission movie. So this brings me around to my point. I could just cry about he's eternal damnation or I could be overjoyed at my other investigators eternal salvation. I'll chose eternal salvation everyday; thank you very much.

The mission is so funny because although I work so so so hard for these people, that they might gain faith in Christ. In the end it really only matters if my faith is solid because that is all I can control. I have to work to help others, but it all comes back to how your testimony is doing.

So I am loving life. I went back to the basics, and am focusing on the simple gospel, and that is making everything better. I've been out 7 months. So nuts! 

P.S. So that investigator called us the next day, and told us that he wants to try again. We laid down the law and told him this is it he has to come to church, pray, and read the scriptures or we cannot help him. He is doing worlds better.

Psalms 139:23

"This week was crazy as ever. Gladys Knight, and the Saints United Voices performed in LasVegas. Basically it's a choir that pumps up hymns, and they sing. It was a pretty good time. The adversary is working over time because it was a hassle, and a half trying to get any of our investigators there but it turned out. One of our investigators- the one who dumped me- he came. At the beginning I told him "Are you going to be embarrassed when I get into it? When I dance, and clap?" He said "no, I expect nothing less out of you Sister Smith." Well the tables turned, and he was wayyy more into it than I was. He cried during "I am a Child of God,"and during a jazzed up Hawaiian hymn he was dancing, at one point he was literally the only person in the whole place who was standing and swaying back and forth. It was a great time. It reminded me of dancing to Christian pop, on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Long live Jerusalem! 

We are at dinner the other night and a little girl says "let's tell scary stories!" Her 4 year old brother turns to me, and yells "CAT WITH A KNIFE!!" I died laughing. I am still dying laughing. Why are kids the funniest things around?

One of my investigators is getting baptized this weekend! He is so great! He requests us to sing songs to him and he just want to talk about Heavenly Father and how great He is all day long. 

Lately I just think about how come people don't try. Our investigator is obsessed with how he won't be able to quit smoking or drinking coffee and I turned to him and said "Why not try? How sad is it that you are calling defeat already when you haven't even tried? The Lord blesses those who try, but He can't do much with those do don't put in any effort." It has really made me think about that. Lots of times people are happy, but they could just try and be happier, Or they have a testimony but the scriptures say that the mysteries of God will be unfolded to those that search.It's just sad to me how many people just let life past them by before they even put in an inch of trying. 

Anyways life is great! I love my area, my investigators, and my companion, and I love the Savior. So life is great!"  

Mosiah 18:8-10

"Ring in the praises, and release the doves. My investigator who I talked about last week, the one that dumped us, he called us on Tuesday, and set up another appointment. He then called three hours later, and left a voice mail cancelling the appointment, but we decided to go anyways. So we went, and had a nice little pow wow about the Atonement and what the Priesthood means. Then he stood up and threw away his cigarettes away, and committed to try again. It's been a dream come true since then. He is praying regularly, reading his scriptures, and he calls us everyday to check in. We quit candy with him as he quits smoking and he really loved that idea. He calls to make sure we haven't given into our cravings. I wish I could say giving up candy was a walk in the park but I seriously would eat candy all three hours in church to stay awake, so I was dragging during church. He called us the other day just to tell us what a good job that we are doing. He said, and I quote "I love you to death as sisters!" My heart melted. Melted! He calls, and sets up his own appointment, by saying "I would really love to study the Word today.What time are you free?'

So we had dinner the other night with a member, and her old parents who aren't members. When we were leaving they started telling us about their belief in God. Their idea was that He is a cloud that is infinite, but not all powerful. He doesn't listen to everyone's prayers.He really doesn't love us because why would He let bad things to happen and further more why would He send He's Son here to die. I am constantly in shock about people's idea of God. How sad to think that lots of people really don't know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, that He listens to all our prayers, and sending Christ to earth shows just how much He loves all of us. Craziness!

For Halloween we got to watch a movie! That was the thrill of the century for a missionary.The movie was Ephriam's Rescue. Now, I am really into Pioneers. #missionary obsessions.

Everything is top notch, and Jim dandy.

P.S. I feel asleep during a lesson the other day. Yup, my sleeping is just as bad as a missionary. I mean I go to bed by 10:30 pm, and wake up at 6:00 am, but that doesn't stop me from wanting a nap. To be fair it was during a movie...but then I feel asleep when we were teaching the Word of Wisdom too, so yeah...I'm bad."