Hermana Schmidt: Hermana Schmidt Week 47 Letter 08/17/15

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 08/17/2015 11:00 AM
Subject: Miracles Upon Miracles!

Hola a todos!

Happy birthdays to my second cousins Katherine and Andrew, and to my cousin Lauren Joy :)

So this may or may not be a shorter email because I can't change the keyboard settings to english today! Sigh.

But I have GREAT news! The last little surgery that I had to get went swell. It was fast, easy, and basically painless! I am finally feeling 100% back to normal! (Missionary normal, as in tired, hot, and sweaty, but I don't think i'll ever even think to complain about being hot or tired again!!! It's just so worth it to work!!)

But the super cool thing about my whole process was that my companion had to get the same exact surgery I had to get. Needless to say, I am so so grateful the Lord put me through a trial so that I could know how to help and comfort my companion!! Our trials really just aren't about us sometimes. I love what it says in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. That's totally how I have felt!! My companion is doing a lot better. The STLS came over a lot this week to help us out, so that means I could go out and work Hallelujah!! I am just so grateful!!

So we went and saw Brendi. She is 22 and we have been teaching her for about 2 months now. She always says she has a testimony from her prayers and study of the Book of Mormon, but she isn't really committing nor coming to church. It's been stressful at times, but I've just realized that's how the Lord feels when we know something is right but we just don't fully put our hearts into it! I've come to realize just how much the Lord comes to know us. Well we went and saw her, and we had planned to teach her about tithing and just thinking about ''What do we have left on the teaching record to teach her?'' sometimes I think we are so focused on just 'getting it done' so to speak, that we don't really come to love and understand our investigators and their needs. Well, I thought it was a good plan and just trying to 'get it done' and when we walked in Brendi just looked so sad. We started talking with her and she told us her uncle had gotten into a huge motorcycle accident and was getting emergency surgery. I realized that QUESTIONS are ESSENTIAL, because she was not going to tell us that without us really asking her how she was and how we could help her. I testified to her of the reality of God's plan and that his plan really is perfect! That's what i've gained this transfer, a firm testimony and conviction that god's plan is so much better than my own. Brendi really opened up and it was one of the most powerful spiritual moments of my life.

We also taught Diana and Mariana (we had pics with them at a FHE with cookies a couple of weeks ago) who we have not been able to find since the FHE. The Lord totally prompted us to go try them one more time, even though we had been convinced they weren't going to continue meeting with us. We got there, and the spirit is truly the director of this grand work because they were THERE! :) We taught them more about the fall and Mariana, though 8 years old, knew I swear more than I did about the fall! We taught about the importance of our decisions and for the first time I saw Diana really start realizing how this message can bless HER life and HER family. I love it when they can feel that because I pray so hard for our investigators to feel my love and see me with pure motives to truly help and serve them! It was a clicking moment for them and I am just so excited for her and their family. Victor, her husband, has tons of LDS family and is super interested so we have just been waiting for Diana to show that same energy and interest and ah! I'm just so so grateful!

We taught Haidi, the mother of Pedro and Jorge, with pedro and jorge actually teaching! We pretended we were the investigators with their mom (their mom actually is) and pedro and jorge were the missionaries teaching the restoration from the pamphlet. They loved it. There was something so so special about that appointement because just like Diana and her family, Haidi has been the one holding back in her own family because pedro and jorge got baptized and her husband has shown a much stronger desire to learn. There was something that just clicked for her as she watched her sons teach the gospel. She really started to show real intent, and interest.

Hermana Jackson and I started a free piano class for an hour every week for our ward. Yesterday we had our first class and they loved it! It was my first time ever really teaching a piano lesson and I LOVED it! Service can be so simple, and always so so wonderful.

Our area is going fantastic. The Lord has truly looked out for our investigators as we've had a couple of setbacks with our health. Needless to say we are so so excited to back to working and giving our all. This week to come, as this week was, will truly be another AMAZING week full of miracles in the work of the Lord. Even in the hard times, I don't think I haven't seen a week without the Hand of the Lord so clearly and wonderfully playing his part in my life. I'm so grateful! Being a missionary truly is the best, most rewarding decision I think anyone could ever make!

Thank you all for all of your support. Words can't express how much I love you all and am so grateful for you and your prayers!! You all have carried me many times when it was hard on this mission.

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!! :)

-Hermana Schmidt