Hermana Schmidt: Hermana Schmidt Week 67 Letter 01/04/16

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]

Sent: 01/04/2016 11:43 AM
Subject: Big Blisters Never Felt SO Good!

Hola a todos!

So this week was like my ''consecration'' week. My goal was that I tried to completely focus my thoughts and words on the savior and his work, and it was SO amazing. I decided that I was going to just give it all over to the Lord this week, every little bit that I could. I also tried to focus all of my studies on the Lord Jesus Christ, who he was before this life, who he was while he was here, and who he is now. And how I can become more like him! I can honestly say I haven't had a more richer-filled spiritually high week as this one my entire mission. The Lord is just so wonderful!

One thing that helped with the whole consecration thing is that we felt inspired to change our focus as a zone, and instead of numbers, we are focusing on names, and giving every ''number'' (how many baptisms we want to have) and putting names to every single one. We are also basing our goals around people, and not so much on the numbers. That's one big difference this transfer and it's already making me truly lose myself in the WORK and in LOVING the people, and truly being motivated to help others to have the rich blessings of the gospel in their lives. We've already seen huge miracles!

So as an update la familia sosa will be getting baptized in the next couple of weeks and are doing good. They are still out of town but they are just golden. So, so prepared!

We have been teaching this 13 year old named Nayua and her mom, Yahaira. They are from the states but have lived in the DR for a long time, so we normally teach in spanglish. We haven't been able to see them for a while due to meetings and their schedule being crazy from Christmas time, but we finally got to see them this week, and it was AMAZING. Nayua is SO smart and so mature for being only 13 and is helping her mom to embrace the gospel as much as she is. We taught them baptism this week and they both accepted their dates for February 14th. Their biggest hardship has been coming to church, and we went by to pick them up yesterday and they were sleeping and we were like... blast... looks like they aren't coming again. But then, later into sacrament meeting, they walked in!! I almost started crying from joy! Nayua is so excited for the gospel that when I told her she could download the scriptures on her phone it was as if I told her she just won a million dollars... haha. Her jaw literally dropped! They are wonderful.

We were also about to leave with a member, and he was outside of his house with his friend Anibal playing basketball. When we showed up to the house to leave the member introduced us to Anibal and I said, ''Hey, if I make a basket, will you come to church?'' He agreed and said, ''you have 3 chances.'' The first shot... it was a disaster. A year without basketball has been rough let's just say.... but the 2nd shot I think angels moved the ball inorder to make it in because it was SO off... haha. And so he said he would come, and not like I didn't have faith... but I didn't 100% believe him. But there he was, early to church, nice shirt and all! So that was cool, and we are going to start teaching him and his whole family tomorrow!

I'm going to write this quick and little but two guys on a motorcycle tried stealing my bag again like last year, but they didn't get anything off of me. And thankfully it was so fast that they didn't hurt me or anything, they just drove by and tried grabbing my bag off my shoulder. Score: Motorcycle thugs (1) to Hermana Schmidt (1).

So it's like, everything happened this week but I can't communicate it well. But let me just say that the Lord is opening up huge miracles here in La Romana, and i'm just so grateful to be a small part of it. I couldn't have asked to start up 2016 better. I'm just so happy it's unreal! I feel so lost in the work, and although it results in blisters on my feet, sunburns, dirty clothes ALL the time, cold showers, weird insects, and heart breaking moments... it is more than worth it. The sacrifices are so small compared to the joy I feel from the Lord. I know that i'm here to help others, but I feel that the Lord is helping me more than I could help anyone else. So the little I can do to repay that, is what i'm trying to do. This past year brought with it the BEST of times, and I couldn't be happier.

The Lord is just too good. Couldn't be more grateful for 2015 in the Dominican Republic. And thank you for all carrying me through it. Your emails, prayers, and letters, have carried me through the hardest of times and helped me to refocus and feel my savior's love over and over again. Thank you, I love you all more than words can say.

Hurrah for Israel! :)

-Hermana Schmidt