The Joys and Trials of a mission!
Well thanks so much for the emails and good news. I'm looking forward to hearing about Brad's talk Dad. It sounds like it was really good. I was just thinking about Island Park and the outings we had there as youth. I was really missing it! So hopefully you had fun for me! That's also crazy to hear about the Philippines and the tragedy that happened there. I'm also grateful that I am in a safe place with nice things. There was a missionary in our ward here that just came home from Ghana South Africa last week and we heard about some of the things he went through. He lost 65 pounds! We played some football with him on Saturday, luckily he was already pretty big when he left so he looks good now after losing that much weight. But the culture is just so different, he got to the airport in New York and looked at a water fountain like it was some new invention he had never seen haha. It won't be much of a culture change for me when I get back, just temperature change!
So there have been some crazy things happen in our zone lately, I'll mention one thing. On Sunday we were sitting in ward council and got a call from President Ahlander and a text saying, we have a missing missionary in your zone, call me ASAP....Now, that's not a normal text you would usually get haha, we always wondered if it would happen, and it actually did. So we learned more about it and found out what happened. This Elder had just had enough, he was done and wanted to go home. When his companion was in the shower he called a taxi, packed up, and left to the airport. And that's the last we've heard of him. So our job was to figure out a new companion for the other Elder that was now left alone. Kinda crazy, like I said haha. We were talking about the whole situation and I was told by someone this, In the mission, and in other church callings, there will be times where people will just get under your skin and you will be pushed to your limit. You will want to give up, as this missionary did. But those are the times where we will receive the most blessings, IF we endure it well. We all have choices in this life and have our own agency to choose what we will do. Our choices and actions will determine our way. It is my testimony, and sure knowledge that if we endure it well and push through our trials, our spiritual strength will increase significantly and we will be blessed beyond our knowledge, I pray for this Elder who will undoubtedly have very hard times in front of him because of his actions, but I know things will work out. And if it turns out that we choose the wrong way, God WILL NOT leave us. He will continue to love us with all his heart because that's who He is. I know that's true.
I pray for all of you and thank you for your love and support. I hope things go well for Jordan and Brittney and hope the baby is healthy and happy when she is born. Send my love to them for me, I'm looking forward to hearing all about my new niece! I love you all, Elder Smith