Hermana Schmidt Week 71 Letter 02/01/16

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 02/01/2016 10:47 AM
Subject: Can I just say, that I am SO happy?! :)

Hola a todos!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDI GIRL!! 4 YEARS OLD!!!! I can't believe it. :) 

So i'm sorry for the lack of updates the last 2 weeks. My companion got really sick and so there wasn't really much to update on. But, this week we got everything solved. President wanted us to stay in the capital to see some good doctors up there, and they found out what it was and now she has the right medicine and is doing a lot better. 

But while in the capital we had many adventures. 

1: I was the office secretary for a day. That's right. Sister Schmidt, Head Secretary, for 7 hours. (That's the least cool thing ever, but I felt cool answering the phone and saying ''Misión Santo Domingo Este'' Over and over again. :) ) 

2. Leadership Counsel. Our leadership counsel was amazing this month!! We talked a lot about balancing between working hard and being excited for the achievements we have, and being humble. It was a great talk. The sum of it was that we need to recognize that we are children of God, who have the potencial to become like him, and that means hard work. But as children of God we can't do it without Him, as any child needs his father to learn. I always say, ''Humility isn't thinking we are nothing. It's realizing that we can become nothing without God.'' And I really believe that. 

3. Hotel House for 3 nights. That's right. Hot showers. Living the good life. 

4. The tender mercies of the temple. Before the Elders picked us up to take us to the bus stop to La Romana again, we felt that we should stop quick by the temple store. Well while we were waiting at the temple, I heard an ''Hermana Schmidt!!'' And I saw one of the sister missionaries I went on appointments with before my mission (she served in the Provo Utah mission) running towards me. She's dominican and we met through the davis family who had introduced us (shout out to them). I went out with them a lot of times before my mission so it was a huge tender mercy to see her at the temple. That day I was feeling really overwhelmed with trying to help the sisters in La Romana, trying to help my companion with her help, worrying about my investigators from not working very much... I was just on stress overload. But seeing her and having her talk to me about how much the mission meant to her, just spoke so much peace to my mind. The Lord is just so good and truly puts the people that we need to see in our paths!! 

5. After we got home, I was still trying to sort out my feelings and stress and turn it all over to the Lord when I had two thoughts. 1. Study Esther. 2. Study from the Topical guide ''cheer''. 

I loved the story of Esther and how Mordecai says, ''Who knoweth if thou hast come to the kindgom as such a time as this??'' Basically, I take that as: 'the Lord has placed you in this spot during a time of huge opposition for a REASON.' I felt so, so strongly from the spirit that I am where I am supposed to be and when I'm supposed to be there. Comfort rushed over me and I just knew that the Lord is aware of me and that he will sustain and inspire me every step of the way. 

With the word ''cheer'' I found and read DyC 112:4-14. I felt so strongly that we as his representatives are called to fight, morning after morning, and day after day, for his good cause. To raise our voices loud and proud and put our heads high because we are on the BEST team ever--- the Lord's! And we have every single reason in the world to be cheerful, and happy, because He Lives, and He is there with us every step of the way. When we feel down, we have to remember that the Lord WILL lift us. He is the Living God, The Prince of Peace!! I know that He lives. I know it, I know it, I know it.

I love you all!

Hurrah for Israel!! :) 

-Hermana Schmidt 

Hermana Barfuss and Hermana Curtis-saying goodbye

President Corbitt in Leadership Training

I can see why they love this president so much just in these photos

Her true love

Hermana Schmidt Week 70 No Letter 01/25/16

No letter again this week, bummer.  Her poor companion has been ill so she didn’t leave the house at all this week.  She is hoping this will be a better week.  And Happy 16 Months!  Also, I must explain the shirt her companion is wearing.  That was Nikki’s Christmas Gift to her companion that her companion only wears inside.  It is a photo of the scary guy that stalked them for 3 months and even had to be pushed out of their apartment once.  It was not funny then but I guess it is now.

Bunney

Happy 16 months!

Another 16 months

Not happy about 16 months

DR nights

Another DR nights

Full moon

Hermana Schmidt

Hermana Schmidt Week 69 Letter 01/18/16

Below is all we got today, the power was shut off in her area and they finally found a place 30 minutes away from home:

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 01/18/2016 1:03 PM
Subject: One Sentence Today

I have a lot to do still so I won't have time for a family email, BUT, really the most exciting things that happened were me going to the CAMPO (mountains) for exchanges which were amazing, and eric sosa got the priesthood yesterday! 

Cow + Girl = Cowgirl

Exchanges in the Campo

Burning Garbage in the Campo

Another photo in the campo

Happy Birthday Misty

Hermana Alonzo on exchanges

Hermana Schmidt Week 68 Letter 01/11/16

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 01/11/2016 11:12 AM
Subject: White Never Looked So Good on Anyone :)

Hola a todos! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! Can't believe you're so old ;) 

So this week will be really short, and for that i'm sorry! There isn't a whole lot to update on except of course, the biggest update of all, THE FAMILIA SOSA GOT BAPTIZED!! :) 

The baptism was just perfect. We decided on Tuesday after calling them that we could throw it together quickly, and they didn't want to wait, so we decided to throw it all together in 4 days. I swear the Lord helped us do so because it was a LOT of work, but so many people came and supported them it was absolutely beautiful. All baptisms are very special, but ''family'' baptisms are just beyond words! 

They were so happy, and seriously just glowing. I teared up so many times during that baptism, I couldn't believe how happy I was! I've never been happier in my whole mission.

Other than that, Nayua is doing well. She came to church again and is going to go to Mutual this friday. She's just golden and so excited to be baptized. We are just really working with her mom so they  can be baptized together! We are hoping Sister Sosa ( :D ) can help us with making her feel more excited about the gospel. 

That's the biggest updates, other than that we had president interviews, little exchanges, and lots of finding with members. I'm sure this next week there will be a lot more to report because we just found some new promising people. 

I love you all! Thanks for everything! :)

Hurrah for Israel! :)

-Hermana Schmidt 

Baptism of La Familia Sosa

Cleaning the Font

Happy Birthday to her dad

Baptism of La Familia Sosa

Baptism of La Familia Sosa Another one

Baptism of La Familia Sosa

Baptism of La Familia Sosa with group

Announcement of baptism

Selfie in the font

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 

Photo I attached of how I fear she will be when we try to bring her home

Happy New Year

Kitten Photo for Maddi

2016 Prediction "When March Comes"

2016 Prediction "When April Comes"

2016 Prediction "When April Comes" Another One

2016 Prediction for Hermana Greenstreet since she is going to BYU-I do

Hermana Schmidt Week 66 Letter 12/28/15

From: Nicole Schmidt [mailto:nicole.schmidt@myldsmail.net]
Sent: 12/28/2015 11:55 AM
Subject: Christmas Miracles (And Fails)

Hola a todos! 

Happy birthdays to my MISSIONARY COUSINS Lexi and Elijah!! Woot woot! Schmidt missionary power! 

So this week we saw a huge miracle with the familia sosa! Last monday during our FHE with them, Erek, the husband, said, ´´Look hermanas, I don´t want to get baptized right now. I´m not ready. I´ll keep learning, and going to church, and supporting my wife, and when I feel ready I will get baptized.´´ Well I was totally shocked because he had passed his interview and seemed so set, and my eyes started welling up with tears. I felt heart broken that so clearly opposition had nailed him so hard that he was backing out of one of the best decisions of his life. Sadly, I didn´t really say all that I was thinking and feeling in the moment.

But the next day we felt strongly to call him, and when we did we told him everything we were feeling. The bar next door was BLASTING music during the call so even inside the house, with the windows and doors shut, we could barely hear him. We found a ´´more quiet´´ spot in the house and we asked him if he could say a prayer over the phone to know if he should get baptized right now. So in our house, and him in his house, we all kneeled down and over the phone he said a prayer. It was SO powerful and then after that the spirit hit me so hard and was like, ´´have him visualize his baptism´´ so I did an visualizing exercise with him and afterwards he said, ´´You´re right. This is my time. I´m getting baptized.´´ We both burst into tears we were so happy. It taught us more on what missionary work REALLY is. It´s all out of love and guided by the spirit, that is FOR SURE. It was serene. 

But, on Friday the wife’s grandpa Eli, passed away so they had to go out of town for the weekend but we will be having their baptism promptly. 

On Christmas Eve we were going home from the mission christmas activity with the assistants and our zone leaders and some other sisters and on the way the car broke down!! So we did the normal thing to do, wait for help, and take pictures. It was a christmas eve adventure I will never forget. We got home really late, but hey, at least there was a good reason.. and now some good pictures? 

Christmas was AMAZING! Talking to my family was just the best. And as much as they say it, I do not believe I have an accent. ;) My family is the best and cutest family there is, that´s for sure. Couldn´t be more grateful for them. 

So just a thought for the new year through my studies and thinking. I think there is something divine about setting goals and making plans, and accomplishing them. I think the greatest plan ever made was before this life, that is, the plan of salvation, or the plan of happiness. I think God is our number one example of setting a hard plan or goal in order to achieve something amazing, and actually doing it. What if our Heavenly Father had said, two years before Christ was born, ´´you know what? This whole trying to inspire my children to make good choices and seeing them fall so much is getting really hard, maybe I should just forget this plan.´´ How would life be?? I think when we set new years goals and plans, we are becoming more like our Heavenly Father, and even more so when we actually do them! I think he can really help us, and he wants to help us. He wants us to have dreams, and goals, and plans. He loves us. 

And I´ve learned that every year is part of our plan of salvation, so how will we take this year in the scheme of our lives and take advantage of this time to become the best people we possibly can through the atonement??

I also want to share a short story on gratitude as we think about each of our circumstances, abilities, and talents. Yesterday our first counselor shared this story:

There was a poor man, who spent most of his time making any sort of income to survive. He always thought ´´I´m just so poor and have nothing´´. One day a wise buyer walked up and said, ´´You think you´re poor? I can help you out.´´ And the poor man said, ´O.k.! I´ll do anything!´´ The man then said, ´´I will give you $10,000 for your arm´´ and the poor man said, ´´of course not!´´ to which the wise man replied, ´´Really?? Hm... How about $30,000 for both of your arms??´´ and the poor man said, ´´No! I can´t live without both of my arms.´´ The wise man said, ´´Okay $20,000 for your leg.´´ And he said, ´´No I don´t want to live without a leg!´´ And he said, ´´$400,000 for both legs??´´ And the poor man said, ´´No!´´ The wise man said, ´´How about $1,000,000 for both of your legs and both of your arms??´´ And the poor man said, ´´No I will not give you my body parts. I can´t live without them, and they are precious! ´´ To which the wise buyer then said, ´´Look how fortunate you are, and you never realized it.´´ 

This year, I really want to be more grateful for what I have. I really want to think of all of the wonderful blessings the Lord has given to me, and less about what I might be ´´lacking.´´ I think gratitude leads to happiness. I know the Lord has given us everything, and every day we wake up and have an opportunity to make a bowl of cereal, or make an egg, or leave to work, or leave to school, or even leave to preach the gospel, we should be grateful. Because in that moment, he is giving us everything. He always gives much more than we deserve, and he only asks us our hearts and to follow him, willingly and happily. 

I´m just so happy to be a missionary. And for all the wonderful blessings the Lord has given me. He truly is so good.

Hurrah for Israel! 

-Hermana Schmidt 

Sisters at last zone meeting in the transfer

Another of sisters in last zone meeting

Car Broke Down Photos

More Car Broke Down Photos

Still More Car Broke Down Photos

Still More Car Broke Down Photos

Still More Car Broke Down Photos

Cat Nightgown we sent her

Christmas Mission Activity

Elders under the hood

Zone leaders getting out to fix the car

Hermana Schmidt Week 65 Letter 12/21/15

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

Sent: 12/21/2015 2:04 PM
Subject: The Best Week...EVER :)

Hola a todos! 

Happy birthdays to my cousins kevin and Jacob. 

Oh my goodness, how do I even start this week?? SO many blessings, miracles, and adventures to count. 

So I will start with the best, La Familia Sosa. So we watched the Joseph Smith movie last monday with them for FHE (they had doubts about him) and after the movie the spirit was SO strong and we felt so strong we needed to ask them if they believed if he was a prophet. Erek, the husband, said firmly, ''yes!''. And they felt SO much better about being baptized! They had their interviews on Saturday and both passed. We will be having their baptismal service on Saturday this week. 

After that lesson we had a cool miracle moment and testimony of the blessings of obedience. It was 9:10 when we left their house (we have to be home at 9:30) so we had to hurry home because we were far away. Normally we wait for a carrito to take us (a carrito is like a public taxi) but none were coming so we decided we had to do our best to be obedient so we would just walk as fast as possible, and get on a carrito if it passed us, instead of waiting. So we started SPEEDWALKING like none other, and 2 carritos passed us without seeing us! We were literally dying at it was 9:27 and we weren't even that close to the house. I said a silent prayer in my heart that if possible, we could make it home on time. Right then a carrito passed, who wasn't even the right route, but offered to take us! It was such a miracle. Walking in right at 9:30 never felt better. If we do our very best, the Lord really will provide miracles!

So sad/not sad news was we visited a new ''golden investigator'' named Judelka who has come to church a lot and so we thought she'd get baptized super fast. We prayed and prayed that she would accept the gospel and her baptism date and were so excited for our lesson..Well, That very lesson she very happily showed us her baptism pictures from a year ago in Santiago.... Not saying that her being a member is a bad thing because it's not... but.... sigh :( :) 

Another miracle of the week was that we had NO food in the house and we needed to eat there on Sunday so we were like... ug... what do we do?? At the moment of realization there was a knock on the door and it was a member and he brought us 3 take out trays of food becaus ''his family felt like it''!! The Lord is just SO good, it's amazing. I never ceased to be amazed at the tender mercies he just pours down on us. 

So remember that I mentioned that we live by a bar that plays music until 5 AM? Well, I may or may not have gotten sick of it at 3 AM one morning and just decided to call the police... I was thinking they probably wouldn't do much. But by miracle, they showed up at the bar 15 minutes later and told them to turn down the music (I was enjoying the scene from my window) and so I woke up hermana greenstreet (like a nice thoughtful companion) and excitingly told her what had happened. She was like, ''Wow that's great hermana schmidt.'' And I said, ''I'm Just so happy''. So now we just keep saying ''I'm just so happy'' whenever something good happens. That may or may not have happened more than once this week (The calling the police). *Missionary power*

We got to stay at presidents house... AKA THE HOTEL. We got a hot shower :') and it even had pressure. Lately i've had hot showers because I boil water on the stove and put it in a cold water bucket... but this one actually had pressure :') So happy, so very, very happy. We got to stay there because Hermana Hinrichsen and I (another sister) got to do a musical number for a special sisters conference so they wanted us to practice there. So... I will be hoping for more musical number opportunities. ;) It was so wonderful... and comfy... and quiet...:) 

So just a quick comment. I learned a leadership lesson this week on the important of listening! I never realized how much revelation can come if we take a moment to think about what they just told us and REALLY think about it. After really listening. I took time, after listening to one of the sister's struggling, to sit there with her and just meditate a couple of minutes. The Lord seriously 100% opened my mind and I knew exactly what she needed. It was amazing. Listening+Meditating.. works wonders!! :)

The Lord directed us to SEVEN new families just on Sunday which was a HUGE miracle. So the work is just rolling and the Lord is just amazing. I love it here so much!

I hope everyone has a wonderful christmas this week! :) Love you all so much and thanks for all you do. 

Hurrah for Israel! :) 

-Hermana Schmidt 

Hermana Schmidt and Hermana Hinrichsen

Miracle Meal that arrived on Sunday

Her mission president with Henry Eyring

Practicing for performance

Comfy beds 

Practicing the Piano

More practicing

View from Presidents Home