From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 04/20/2015 1:16 PM
Subject: Living the BEST (and robbed) Life!
Sent: 04/20/2015 1:16 PM
Subject: Living the BEST (and robbed) Life!
Hola a todos!!
Oh my goodness. This was the CRAZIEST, BEST, most WONDERFUL,
and TRIAL-FILLED week ever!! But it really has taught me that God really is in
the smallest details in our lives, during the hard and good times! Oh man.
Where do I even begin?
First of all, I better start with transfer news (How am I
already writing transfer news again!?) and it's totally heartbreaking. I am
leaving Los Frailes. So I am ''Robbed'' of my first area. I have enjoyed 6
wonderful months here but the Lord needs me somewhere else! However, I am lucky
because it's actually not too far away!! :) I am going to an area called Mi
Hogar, in the zona Oriental. I know that probably means nothing to you guys, so
to be simple, i'm leaving my area for a new area! My new companion will be
Hermana Cabos and she is from Peru! :) She has a tiny bit more time than I
which is great, because this will be my 2nd comp in a row with the same time as
me! We will have a lot of fun i'm sure. :)
Oh man. Then the sad news. Hermana Hernandez, my STL, and
one of my best friends, went home early this week. We had to help pack all of
her things and help her leave. It was super sad, but it's for health. If she
gets better, she'll come back in 3 months!! She is incredible though. I know
that the Lord has great plans for her in her house. It's so hard sending a
missionary home, on the missionary side. It's hard to see for sure. However,
Hna. Given and I made up a song for her (the same one we did at the baptism of
Smith) but this time on piano. Many tears were shed. I will miss her a lot. So
I was ''robbed'' of Hermana Hernandez. :(
Then an another robbed note, our water pump got stolen and
we have been out of water for 2 days!! I will send pics of us dragging water
out of a well. What a blessing.
Other than that, I was not robbed anymore. But I forsure was
GIVEN a huge miracle this week. I think when you all read this, you might die
(well if you've kept up with my emails, if not... it's okay!) But we had an
interesting contact this week.
With Smith's grandma.
The Grandma.
THE
GRANDMA.
So here is the story. We are passing the street she lives
on, and I got the strangest prompting EVER. I felt so strongly we needed to go
to the Grandma's (Now we know her as Nina) house and talk to her. Now, if you
don't remember who this is, this is the woman who yelled at us and told us
never to come back and believes our church is founded my the devil and yada
yada yada. Well, I was freaked out by the prompting and just knew it must have
been from God because that would have never been my idea. So I stopped dead in
the street and turned to Hermana Greenstreet and told her of the phantom
prompting. Immediately, she agreed and said it must be from God. So we start
walking down the street, and every step was like 1000 pounds on our feet. This
is how Harry Potter must have felt before meeting up with Voldemort in the very
last book. Seriously. Like walking to our deaths. Well Hna. Greenstreet
suggested mid street that we say a quick prayer, so we did, and begged for his
help and a miracle if this was His will.
So we walk up to the Door and thankfully, see Smith's dad
who knows us and says ''Smith isn't here!'' To which we say, not knowing what
to say, ''We are actually here for his Grandma, Nina.''' Well he told Nina and
she came out and as soon as she saw us yelled ''Í don't have time for this!!''
and started storming back inside. I called out, '''Just wait! I just wanted to
tell you something. I just wanted to thank you for my time with Smith!!''
Interested, she turned back. She actually started listening to what I was
trying to tell her, which was really just how incrdibley grateful I was for
Smith and to see his change. Slowly, she welcomed us into the house. I thought
it was because there were probably guns in there. I thought it was my last
moments of my life. Literally.
Long story short, we are best friends now. Was that too fast
of a plot twist? Like a slap in the face? Well hopefully it was a good slap
because that's how it felt to me!! We acutally bought and had juice with her,
and Hna. Greenstreet and her new comp. will be cooking with her soon. WHAT!?!?
Miracles my friends. Miracles. I just know God is more powerful than anything,
and he will help us complete that which he asks us to do. How incredible.
Other than that we had a great lesson with Juanito, our old
friend. He came out in short shorts and no shirt, so we asked him to find some
clothes, and he came out with a button up shirt with one button, buttoned.
Typical. We taught him the Plan of Salvation ahd he thought the spirit world
was an alien planet that would evade ours. Woops. No worries. He's all up to
speed now and understands! I will be asking permission to come back for his
baptism in may. How cool :)
I also got a cool Jersey this week, pictures will be sent! I
love it!! Ah. I will miss Los Frailes. But I just know that great things are
ahead and I will go WHEREVER the Lord needs me to go!! I'm so incredibly happy
to be a missionary. This work is the best work in the whole world!!
Thanks for all of your support. I love you all more than
words can say. I hope you know when I experience success as a missionary, it is
ALL your success as well. Because all of you who support me, have carried me
more than you know. I love you all!!
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL! :) (All of you and I and God make a
pretty good team friends, keep on keepin on!)
Love Hermana Schmidt :)
New Jerseys |
Hermana Schmidt and Hermana Greenstreet |
District |
Getting water from the well |
Saying goodbyes |
Kevin's sister who wants to go on a mission in a year |
New Jersey |
Another New Jersey Shot |
Their last names in Spanish (no change for Schmidt) and their first areas |
Her latest purchase |
More saying goodbye |
Another goodbye |