From: Nicole
Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 02/08/2016 11:19 AM
Subject: Who knew cleaning up cigarettes would be such a spiritual
experience??
Hola a
todos!!
Happy birthday to
Marissa my sister in law! :) I hope it's a great one!
To start off we
found out the next transfer news (I say next to not focus on the fact that it's
my last, but everyone already knows that... haha) and I will be staying in LA
ROMANA! :) And I will be training a new STL-- Hermana Shaw! Okay, so funny
story. My mom had actually talked to Hermana Shaw before her mission and later
on told me about it and said, ''who knows maybe you will train her''. So when
president told me the news for this transfer I told him what my mom said and we
both agreed that she is an inspired lady. :) (although it wasnt the type of
training she thought, she was right on the dot :) )
I just found out
one of my old investigators, Fidel, from my second area got baptized!! The
first time we met him he slammed the door in our face and yelled at us. Little
by little he warmed up and soon he started taking the lessons. He changed
little by little but kept saying ''i'll go to the mormon church every sunday
the rest of my life, but I will never be baptized.'' Isn't it amazing how the
Lord can just work miracles in the hearts of people?? It was a joyous
announcement to hear! :)
So this week was
just FULL of spiritual edifying experiences. The first being with Rafael. I've
written about him and his wife, Rosa, quite a few times and how they were
dropping their smoking addiction. Well, they haven't progressed for a while or
come to church and my companion and I felt that we needed to drop them for a
time to help them decide to act in accordance to their faith (those are some of
the hardest decisions a missionary has to make). Well, we went over to explain
to them the whole situation and we arrived and Rafael just looked awful. He
looked defeated and there were cigarettes EVERYWHERE. I mean, everywhere. On
the ground, in the garden, on the patio... just everywhere. And it reaked of
smoke. My heart literally sank at the sight of it and I just had the strongest
sense of disappointment come over me. I prayed in my mind to know what to say
to Rafael in order to help him and to make sure he knew that even though we
wouldnt be meeting with him for a time, that we still loved and cared for him.
And in that moment,
pure, pure love just FLOODED over me. It was seriously as if, even for a brief
moment, God allowed me to see him how God sees him, and to feel how he feels
for him. My heart broke even more and I just knew without one shadow of a doubt
that he was a beloved son of God. I started teaching him and tears welled in my
eyes and I just could barely muster the words out. Eventually we explained why
we needed to leave for a time and would wait to continue when they came to
church. He seemed very sad, but he was very understanding. We finished the
lesson and as we stood up I had an uneasy feeling come over me like ''I
gotta do more. I gotta do something more for him. I can't just leave like
this.'' Then a huge prompting came to me and it was one of those *well duh*
moments from the spirit:
Clean up the
cigarettes.
So we immediately
acted and we asked for garbage bags in order to clean them all up. We filled a
good about of a bag and as I was cleaning, I looked over at Rafael and he was
just stunned, but beaming, and with tears in his eyes thanked us for the
service. I realized that service really is the best way to help another person
we can't just be like ''Hey your house is dirty, you should fix that'' True
disciples of christ will feel impressed to feel ''Hey their house is dirty,
let's see what I can do about that.'' And although I am not perfect at always
doing that or following those promptings, I'm grateful that God places in my
path person after person to serve and to bless, although I am a very
unprofitable servant. The Lord is so good. I think if we had just left telling
him he needs to stop smoking without doing much, it would have just been that,
empty words and a bitter end. But I could tell it really, really touched Rafael
because he promised he would find a way to get to church in the next couple of
weeks- which he has never done. I really think it will happen.
Other than that, we
are teaching a new family and the mom has come to church like 5 times but is
never home but we finally caught her! We taught her and the first lesson she
said, ''So how can I be baptized?? Do I have to become a miamaid and laurel or
whatever they were saying about those girls in church today??'' (she's in her 40s
haha) and we explained that she didn't and that the process is easy and we gave
her a date right then and there for the 27th this month and she said, ''I
really want to. But I want to with my husband and daughter.'' And we asked if
she had the faith to see that miracle and she said yes. The spirit was so
strong and I can just feel that, that entire family will be baptized so soon!!
The Lord truly does prepare his elect.
I love you all and
can not express with words how grateful I am for all of your support. Every
day, and in every way, my mission has become the best, and even better, and
even better, experience of my entire life. And I couldn't do it without the
support I receive from all of you. I testify that this is the completely true
church of the Lord!! It is his kingdom. Oh, it truly is ''wonderful, wonderful
to me.'' I can feel it every day, that angels are around us and guiding us and
this is God's mighty work and his mighty truth. I testify that the gospel binds
a family together in unity and happiness, in this life and for the eternity. I
know that God loves us and LIVES. He will never leave us alone. He truly does
see us as how we can become, perfect, glorified beings like he is. I just know
it. I know it, I know it, I know it!
Hurrah for Israel!!
Hurrah for missions!!
-Hermana
Schmidt
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| Another Goodbye |
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| After organizing |
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| Before organizing |
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| Dead and Alive |
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| Goofing Off |
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| Back to brown hair <3 |
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| Invites they handed out |
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| Hermana Schmidt and Hermana Greenstreet |
