Email of March 13th

Dear family and friends,

This transfer is over on Wednesday--can you believe it? Our tripanionship is being broken up because the Temple Square sister who's been serving here for a couple of months is heading back to Temple Square, so there'll be an even amount of sister missionaries in NYUM again. Sister Hale is going to Glenville to serve with her MTC companion--cool, huh? Haha. Fortunately, Sister Takapu and I will remain together in Ithaca. So she can teach me more by example. Seriously, though, I feel so blessed to be serving with her, and for so long.

Our lovely lady was baptized on Saturday!!! Oh, the baptism was so nice--the people who participated in the program were so inspired and the Spirit was so strong throughout. It was an hour long, which is unusually long for Ithaca, but the focus was easy to keep with everyone feeling that sweet Spirit of God and supporting Carol. Preparing for Carol's baptism, I was reminded over and over again just how important baptism is. Believing in Christ, having faith, is not enough to return to His presence. Even changing through repentance because of your belief and trust in Christ is not enough. These are well and good, but the ONLY way we can live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ AND our families again, forever, is by accepting the covenant and ordinance of baptism. We are not fully following our Savior if we aren't baptized by proper authority as He was. We aren't fully following the Savior if we aren't committing ourselves to His own, authorized Church. What great responsibility we have once we are members of Christ's Church! He expects more, because we promise more, and His promises equal ours. When we're baptized, we're promised to be forgiven and have His Spirit with us, but we must do what He's asked and we've promised to do in return to receive these blessings. Good grief, we are so blessed to know! And Carol--now she knows! Her knowledge and faith will continue to grow, but she's taken the first, monumental step back to God. You know how you usually can't just buy one of the prizes from a carnival game place (I don't know how to phrase that more eloquently), but you have to play the game and win it? How can we expect Heavenly Father to give us His richest blessings if we do nothing to win them, to be worthy of them? That's what baptism helps us do. Anyway, Carol's been baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. :)

Last Monday we went to the Equestrian Center at Cornell for Sister Hale's birthday! It was awesome. There are probably about 50 horses there, and it was terrifying and glorious to walk amongst them. Really though, they're huge, and so powerful--it is seriously terrifying. I didn't see one named Philip...Awesome P-Day. And today we went to Taughannock Falls!! It's beautiful up there. We hiked around, I put on my jeans for the first time in 3 months, we took some pictures (obviously)...we had a marvelous time.

There are so many people in the world who need the Gospel. Well, really, we all need it, but so many people are just waiting for it. How do we find them all? This is the Lord's work, so I guess He helps quite a bit. :) D&C 18:10...we are all of infinite worth; how can we ignore the plights of others? Please, pray for opportunities to share what you know, and then be willing to speak up or lend a hand when your prayers are answered. The Lord needs us all to do this work. 51,000 missionaries is not enough. It's like that talk I told you about last week--it's good, but it's not enough.

We're meeting with this great guy who studies Electrical Engineering at Cornell--he's great. We brought a member from the branch with us this last week, because he'd studied the same and is now looking for a job in his field, so there are some similarities between them. This member of the branch is a convert of a few years and his powerful testimony super-charged the tenor of this guy's interest in the restored Gospel of Christ. He wants to know for himself that what he's learning is true--well of course he should find out for himself--and he wants to read and read from the Book of Mormon to discover the truth despite his busy schedule. There are people all around the world who are ready to receive the Gospel, but they have to have the chance to receive it in order to actually receive it, right? Right, duh. That was obvious. how can we know if something is right or good or true if we don't even know what "it" is? I am so thankful to be a missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's Church once again on the earth, and within it we find all the truths that He teaches, the power and authority of God to do the things we must in order to receive exaltation, the comfort of our belonging to Him. I love the prophets and apostles whom He has called--I know they are righteous men who have been prepared to lead us, and are supported by the Lord to lead us, today. I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to share what I know. Jesus Christ is my Savior--I am nothing without Him. I can do nothing without Him. I will go nowhere without Him. Jesus Christ knows exactly who I am, where I am, where I can go if I rely on Him. He knows who I can become through Him. He knows how to heal my wounds and how to dry my tears. He knows how to support my feeble knees and weak shoulders. I cannot do all, but He can.

I love you so much! I am so thankful to be a part of our family FOREVER! It's a long time, isn't it? Thank the heavens. :) Thank you for all of the wonderful updates! Missionaries coming, missionaries going, work opportunities showing up, brothers becoming giantesque...I love hearing about home. I should have some time to write a few letters today, so I'll try to buckle down and do it so y'all (there are a few Texans and South Carolinians here) can get some personalized letters.

I LOVE YOU!

Sister Smith

P.S. We live near an AWESOME playground. Taughannock Falls is beautiful. :)

P.P.S. We have to move--that will be fun, won't it? :)

P.P.P.S. Lots of smiley faces, no? :) :)