Sigh. My Danskos...oh, they're bad.
I wore them for the first time in NY, Mother, and after about 10 minutes the
strap of the left shoe broke! Well, more accurately, the little stud that keeps
the strap on popped off. I walked around for two hours while we were talking to
people on the street, trying to keep my shoe on, and compensating for the
awkwardness of the left foot by walking more heavily with my right foot.
Anyway, my feet became blistered (only the first blisters, foot troubles, in 4
months!) and I'm wearing my Eccos every day. I'm thinking I'll send them home
to you. I don't really know what to do with them. Get them repaired? Is it even
worth it? I really like wearing the Eccos...maybe I could send in a request for
a pair of black shoes that aren't Danskos? It turns out I prefer the lighter
shoes when speed walking, anyway. I just don't know what to do in this matter.
Any suggestions?
So. Helaman
10:16-17...Disapparation? I thought so, too. Bits of truth are found many
places...But they are kept together in their fulness within Christ's Church,
His scriptures, and His prophets. :)
Sister Hale left on Wednesday
morning to go to Glenville, NY, and after she left Sister Takapu and I just kind
of sat in our apartment for about 5 minutes, sort of depressed. It's weird to
be in a trio and then have one of you taken away. The apartment felt kind of
empty. Then we rearranged a few things, went on with our day, and it turned out
to be a great day! The first appointment of the day was at an apartment complex
just down the street from where we live, and right behind the bus stop we go to
for our bus to district meetings on Wednesdays. Anyway, we met the property
manager there and she showed us a one bedroom apartment for approximately what
we're paying right now for the apartment! Woo! A great location, new carpet (it
smelled really nice in there), and cheaper laundry WITH the machines IN THE
BUILDING! In fact, there are washers and dryers in every building in the room
right next to the apartment we'll be moving in to! Win. Big win. The Lord
really, really blessed us to find a new place. We'd thought it was hopeless
looking for a new apartment in downtown Ithaca, and an inexpensive one at that.
Okay, maybe not hopeless, because we did look, and we knew we'd find a place,
but it did seem like a big task. Not so, my family, not so! It's a great
apartment. It's kind of older, but it's clean and well taken care of inside,
and there are lots of windows! And all of the aforementioned pros. We're REALLY
excited to move...Call us crazy. Hopefully we'll start moving things this week
and next week. :) The whole experience has felt kind of whirlwindish--we found
out we needed to move, and found a perfect place to move, and got the OKAY to
move in about...3 weeks. Incredible! So, part of the reason we're so excited is
that we've seen so many blessings in just this, seemingly unrelated to
missionary work, experience.
Yeah, after that appointment, we had
an excellent day, and our Heavenly Father definitely looked out for us and
helped us to have a happy day as we focused on our work and the things we
needed to do.
Another example of the Lord
providing for us: we've noticed many times when we've had extremely busy days
planned and there isn't time to stop for lunch or dinner until the end of the
night, and someone will provide us with a meal, so we don't have to worry about
that physical need! It's like the scriptures about our Father taking care of
those who go without "purse" or "script," and He finds a
way to feed and take care of those whom He calls. We are so blessed!
The Owego New York Stake Conference
was this weekend and we were only able to attend the Sunday session because of
our schedules, but it was incredible! The theme was "Arise and Shine
Forth," encouraging us to be examples, and to let the Gospel and our love
of our Savior be very apparent in the way we live. We are a "peculiar
people," right? :) Anyway, the Bullochs spoke in the meeting, along with
others. Sister Bulloch spoke about the many odd things that missionaries do,
how she helps us remain in good health, how they've served with many
missionaries from all over the world with many, varied names--some as common as
Smith and Jones, and others as difficult to pronounce as Goettsche, Moisio,
Takapu, etc...Hahaha. The Ithacans really liked that. One branch member said to
us last night, after the meeting, that she didn't realize she knew so many
missionaries who've served in this mission, and that it's interesting that so
many have served in Ithaca. Well, I'm glad to join the ranks of those who've
been fortunate enough to serve here. :) Sister Bulloch's talk was so sweet, and
so powerful, all about her love of serving in the capacity she is, alongside
President Bulloch, and having the opportunity to meet so many treasured people.
President Bulloch's talk was fantastic--he's an incredible man. He reminded me
(all of the Owego Stake, actually) to FEAST on the words of Christ, not just
nibble (2 Nephi 32:3). We are so so blessed to have so many witnesses of
Christ--the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, the
Pearl of Great Price, LIVING PROPHETS, and personal revelation. This is truly a
great day to live. How often to do receive the words of Christ by studying
them, and allowing them to change how we act, how we think, who we are? We cannot
be ungrateful! Jacob 4:8 says "despise not the revelations of God."
All of those things are revelations. We know nothing except it comes from our
Father through revelation. Are our lives reflecting a love and appreciation of
those revelations, or impassivity, or even worse, hate? Only those who are
proud think the words of repentance are hard to hear--our Savior teaches us to
repent to come to Him, to CHANGE to come to Him. It's so hard to let go of your
own will, your own belief about how your life should be or go, but it's
absolutely necessary and infinitely and eternally worth it when we turn away
from ourselves and "Look unto God with firmess of mind" (Jacob 3:1).
I'm striving to be more determined in my faith in Christ. If I believe He
provides the way to be everlastingly happy, that He can stand with me when I'm
going through hardships as difficult as warfare and lift me up, then I need to
match my actions to that belief. I don't want to be all talk. I want to
"arise and shine forth!" Isn't that a beautiful encouragement?
Can you tell I'm in Jacob in my BOM
reading?
We're meeting with a fellow who's
married to a member of the Church, and he's studying IS, incidentally, Dad (I
mentioned that you'd worked for Deloitte and he asked me about that for a
little while). They are AWESOME! I really love them. They have an indoor swing
hanging from the ceiling of their apartment. Anyway, many of the principles of
the Gospel, and the commandments that have been revealed through prophets make
logical sense to him, they appeal to his practical mind. However, he doesn't
believe they're necessary for salvation. He doesn't believe that our Heavenly
Father plays an active hand in our lives. The truth hasn't entered his heart
yet, it's just come to the outside so far. :) I'd never imagined someone so
kind and accepting to have a "hard heart." I'd never imagined that a
hard heart can exist in someone who doesn't antagonize the Church. Having a
hard heart doesn't mean that you're a rude person, though! It doesn't mean you
are angry all of the time, or snooty. No, it just means that your heart isn't
open to the Spirit. It isn't open yet to receiving the witnesses, the
knowledge, the comfort that the Lord wants us to have. So we're praying, and
trying to find a way to help soften his heart. I say that as if we're going to
be the means of softening...how foolish.
A happy story now, perhaps? haha.
We've been very blessed to have our days work in a way that we could NEVER
plan. Some of our dinner appointments with members haven fallen through, other
people have canceled on us, etc. All of these things happening so we could be
where we were supposed to be. It's very humbling to see the Lord's hand in this
work--He really does direct it, and if we're doing the right things, doing our best
to be obedient, then we'll see the work progress and turn out the way it's
supposed to. People may call these instances chance, or good luck, but I know
that these incredibly unique experiences are neither. Jesus Christ is at the
head of this Church, and He directs the work that we do as His servants and as
missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Oh, I love you!! GENERAL CONFERENCE
IS IN TWO WEEKS!! I am so excited. That's so great that you get to go visit
Aunt Debby and Uncle Kenny! The south...what a beautiful place...I hear.
Hahaha. Take pictures, yeah?
I love you. I love you. I love you.
Love,
Sister Smith
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