Hermana Schmidt: Hermana Schmidt Week 57 Letter 10/26/15

Note: If you are a returned missionary and want to continue getting these emails, please email me your new email address. You can also keep up with her at hermanaschmidt.blogspot.com. I am starting to get some emails returned from mid-summer from missionaries ldsmail.net accounts which I guess expire after a few months.

Bunney

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 10/26/2015 10:59 AM
To: Bunney Schmidt
Subject: Fruity Jack-o-lanterns! :)

Hola a todos!! :)

Happy birthday to my cousin Amanda! :)

So this week was a lot of SEARCHING. We have a list of less-actives in our branch that is long. So we have dedicated basically every day to trying to contact every person on that list. It has been especially rewarding, not because we've contacted every person and they are all jumping for joy to return, but because I feel so, so close to my savior. I always thought that searching for investigators was the most rewarding experience, but I think it's tied with searching for less-actives.

I've thought a lot this week about the parable of the lost sheep, and it said that the shephered diligently searched for the lost sheep. Every step I've taken this week with a list of these lost sheeps I've felt the shepherd literally walking at my side, and encouraging me to find his sheep that once knew, but are now lost. It has been INCREDIBLY spiritual and motivating. I thought a lot about this quote by Dale Renlund :

“I now realize that in the Church, to effectively serve others we must see them through a parent’s eyes, through Heavenly Father’s eyes. Only then can we begin to comprehend the true worth of a soul. Only then can we sense the love that Heavenly Father has for all of His children. Only then can we sense the Savior’s caring concern for them. We cannot completely fulfill our covenant obligation to mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort unless we see them through God’s eyes. This expanded perspective will open our hearts to the disappointments, fears, and heartaches of others. Only when we see through Heavenly Father’s eyes can we be filled with “the pure love of Christ”. Every day we should plead with God for this love. Mormon admonished, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with thus love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” With all my heart, I want to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. I love Him. I adore Him. I witness of His living reality.”

I just know that, that's what it's all about. Helping, lifting, loving our brothers and sisters and helping them to be faithful. As Neil A. Maxwell put it ''True that wickedness never was happiness, but neither is lukewarmness full happiness. Failing to be valiant in christian discipleship will leave us without significant happiness. Therefore our active avoidance of wickedness must be followed by our active engagement of rightneousness.'' What are we doing to be more valiant? What are we doing to help others to be valiant? From all of these less-actives I've seen a missing part of their souls. They have normal lives, many of them, but many of them have found themselves to be unsatisfied, unhappy, and filling in the gap with anything BUT the gospel and expecting it to last, but it doesn't, and they are even more lost than before. What are we doing to help them?

I know that true, valiant, christian discipleship is what makes us happy. A happiness that actually lasts!

Hurrah For Israel! :)

-Hermana Schmidt