Phoneless

Dearest Family-

 

First off- chelsea rosendahl if you're reading this- I just got your letter and fruit leather strip!!! haha thank you!! I LOVE YOU AND LEAH SOOOO MUCH!!!!! you are seriously the best, dearest little friend ever and your "gift" cracked me up haha it was the best worst gift ever :} and by that i mean it was the best!! thank you so much for thinking of me and not forgetting your little missionary haha. I will be writing you a letter today my love, because I also received your other letter detailing about your love life so yeah- you will be hearing from me about that shortly ;) miss you. and Leah- dang girl- your love life is greatness haha I LOVE YOU!! anyways i will save the rest of my little comments for my letter. i just miss you guys!!! and love you tons.

 

     SO as for this week- as you may have guessed from the title- this week we had no phone!! The Lord works in mysterious ways...let me explain- me and my happy little (actually rather tall) companion were doing our usual exciting weekly walmart shopping trip when- i drop the phone! I look down and the battery is NO WHERE to be seen. no where. the back of the phone that popped off was sitting right there- but the battery? gone. we searched EVERYWHERE and even asked the employees to help and after 20 minutes we were all quite dumbfounded but had to conclude- that yes in fact the battery simply wasn't there. well i was baffled. frustrated, maybe even a little mad. why didn't the lord answer our prayers? why would such a dumb little set back happening? we are His missionaries!! we need a phone to do our work!! why would such a weird stupid annoying thing happen? there is no place for us to get a battery- its a special "mission phone" and the mission couldn't get us a new battery until friday! Friday! a whole week of no phone! how were we supposed to set appointments with people? how were we supposed to coordinate the work? How could we do ANYTHING without a phone??

     Those were my stellar impressive thoughts and attitude as we drove home from our happy walmart adventure. Then i thought about my scripture...Hel 3:35....submission...yielding my heart and will to god's..."ok" I thought..."I'll just do it." once I "yielded my heart" my heart softened...my perspective started to change..I started thinking, wait a second this is actually amazing because now we will have to REALLY rely FULLY on the Lord to lead and guide us- after all isn't this HIS work we are doing?? Isn't he more than capable of doing it and leading and guiding us even WITHOUT a stupid phone? YES! I thought, this is actually an AMAZING opportunity and adventure the Lord has given us to really trust in him and witness miracles!! 

      So i told my dear companion, "sis Schmidt! this is going to be the best week ever!! lets see just how capable God is and let Him to some of the heavy lifting and we will just follow the Spirit. I think He wants to show us just how omnipotent He is.This week is going to be the best adventure ever!" we were both phoneless, full of faith, and stoked to see how the week would unfold. well m,y dear family- I am happy to inform you that we were led and guided to be busy EVERY HOUR OF EVERYDAY just the same as any other week when we had our phone to set up appointments with people. some how the people we were guided to see at certain times, were always home, and everything worked out. How grateful I am for that faith and trust building experience from our Heavenly Father! how glad I am that I was able to have a good attitude and put that that scripture I was studying into action in my life- what was initially perceived as a trial and set back- was actually a great blessing and motivator!! The lord works in mysterious ways- but lets trust Him, because His ways are higher than our ways- lets align our will with HIS and just see where that takes us! this small lesson is an experience I will draw from and remember the rest of m y life. The Lord wants me to trust him even when it seems to not make sense to me. I can do that!!

 

       As for our PEOPLE :D great news!! Steve, the man who officially became an investigator after many years is now progressing!! we asked him to read alma 32:21-34 and HE DID! he read it that very night- the only draw back is that he said he didn't feel anything from reading it. we are going to have to pray harder and work harder to find scriptures that will really address his needs and resonate with him, because we talked about it and received the very strong revelation that the Book of Mormon is going to be crucial in His conversion- and also focusing on the priesthood with him- that is another emphasis that will really motivate him and touch his heart. So pray for Steve and for us to be led and guided in how to help him progress! He did make a really amazing statement though- his wife was just saying how he doesn't take the sacrament because he isn't a member- and then he interjected, "yet." :D I COULD HAVE CRIED!! i actually did tear up a little, anyways, what a miracle, how happy we are. I know baptism is near for Steve, we just have to do everything we can to help him access the answers he needs that lie in the gospel, because they do, they're there, we just need to teach him how to access them for himself, then he will be converted and know for HIMSELF that this gospel is true. that is our commission and call as missionaries.

       Some other great news- we have a new investigator!! A very golden one!! he was a member referral, a boy in the ward kaleb was talking to his friend about the church. He then invited him to seminary- well that boym corey is his name, has gone to seminary EVERYDAY this week and LOVED IT!! He came to church this week and said, "I feel like I'm home." :D :D :D :D :D :D

IS THAT AN ELECT PREPARED SPIRIT OR WHAT?! anyways he is 16 and now he wants to meet with us.

       Earlier this week we met with our potential investigator Andrea (the one who calls me her angel <3) and she told us something amazing- she said, " my son called and asked me if it was true that I was letting the mormon missionaries into my home. He was very upset. Then he asked me, what are they like?" and do you know how that woman responded to him? I just about fell off my seat at what she told him, she said, "listen hear son- first of all yes- I am letting those mormon missionaries into my home, and I will continue to because they have become my most trusted friends. I call to tell them my big news before I even call you. And what are they like? I'll tell you- they're gorgeous. They dress like normal modern women except they're classy. they love God and read the Bible. They're well educated. They're good listeners. They're kind. They're smart, and frankly son, they just get it. They get things- they're mature and they understand both the world and God I've never known anyone like that especially so young. oh- and they wear make up and sing like larks." ha!! that's what she said! then she said that he was just silent and said..."can I meet them?" haha!! I was dying- and she was not kidding- i had no idea that that is what she thought of us!! it was very humbling and crazy to hear her perspective of us. Pray that she can come to church- we need to be more bold and start shifting from just friends to getting her to actually be comfortable to read the Book of Mormon..it will take a lot of faith and trust, but clearly she trusts us, so now is the time to be bold and help her to accept the fulness of the gospel. 

       Many other amazing things happened this week- the Williams ( a less active couple) came to church this sunday for the first time in decades!! we had a really amazing lesson with sis W- we went and randomly talked to just her, and at the end I felt very prompted to tell her that her heavenly Father is aware of here and the difficulties she is going through. He loves her, and that is why He has sent us to her at this exact time- well the Spirit was so strong- she burst into tears!! this was the first conversation I have had with this woman- it was amazing. She then cried through the whole prayer, the spirit was so strong, and at the end we invited her to church and guess what! They came!! they both came! oh what joy- I am so grateful- God is so good, He has such foresight and is so aware of us all. We are truly His children and He is truly our Father. Our Savior is truly the way and the light- I am so grateful to Him and His infinite love and mercy. I love you all so much. I got the skirt!! I love it!! I am wearing it now :)

all my love

sis b