Letter #5- One month

-Wow. I have already been out a whole month! That is the craziest thing ever! I LOVE the MTC and the mission. To be honest I think i could just spend my whole mission in the MTC. I think the food wouldn't be good for that long so that would need to be changed. Other than that I could like it. Good thing is I heard the mission field is about 10 times better. sounds like a party to me! ha ha ha Sign me up. Oh wait I already did!

- Weird huh I am an old member now. All the :"old" missinaries left this week in our zone and we get new ones in a week i am excited for them to come.

-With the change of the old ones leaving we had a change in leadership! Our district is the power house We have the two zone leaders (annie's brother) and then this cool elder from Oklahoma and then we have your District leader and I was the coordinating sister. And there is only 6 of us in the district so for meetings there was only a sister and an elder left in our district but then i got released but it was funny!

-Sad news. One of the elders in the district has been in and out of the hospital. They thought he had kidney stones and then they weren't sure. they did a lot of test today and we haven't heard yet. but they think he has cancer but they don't know. Its really sad so keep him in your prayers.

-Well last week we did the TRC and we taught all in ukrainian it was pretty cool! We are doing lesson one again tomorrow. I feel like i am getting the langauge and not all at the same time it is hard but awesome! Tay brown said the best quote {"The gift of tongues is not like a light switch it can't just be turned on" bummer! I really was banking on it being like that. Ha kidding. Well My time is running low but I love you all I love your prayers and your words of encouragement they really do help me so much. SO feel free to keep sending htem ... (even if I am not so good at writing back) :) I really want to say something funny for the blog but i am just not a clever person. So I guess I will just have to say be good or be good at it... ha ha ha i think its funny but others probably dont

Letter #4-Lauren's first mission miracle.

-So update at the MTC... This is HUGE NEWS!!! sit down and get ready.... NO MORE NYLONS!!!! Fianlly. seeing as it was what made me cry oon the way to the MTC they changed it for me. Kidding its MTC wide and I think world wide nylons are opptional, bright colors are preferred AND skirts only have to cover your knee while you sit. They don't have to come mid calf anymore. Crazy huh! So I wish they would have told us earlier so Mom and I didn't have to have such a painful time shopping. It is a miracle!

-So last week we had the scariest lady that gor fired from here come and volunteer to teach so we taught here and she hated us and told our teacher after. All the teacher's laughed and said that just her but i cried! ha ha ha I am over it now she is just helping me be a better missionary and I know that! So Tommorow we are teaching a full lesson 1 in all ukrainian! YIKES!!!!! That is a whole wee earlier than everyone else.. Why? Because we rock at ukrainian. Not its because it will be hard not matter when we dpo it but we can only get better! :)

-So yesterday We taught our progressing investigator aka our teacher and we committed him to baptism we tried two week earlier and he said no and i taught the sweetest lesson and gave an intense testimony of repentance and the holy ghost and he is getting baptised on the 24th. Of course this isn'rt real but the elders started teaching the same person and they change and progress depending on your teaching and we are the only ones that have done that good!

-Language! UGH! I am getting the hang of it but it is a tuffy for sure! I had a huge compliment from my teacher because i told my branch pres i was struggling with it and i guess he asked my teacher my teacher said I was smoking something because i am really good with the language and then later he said in front of the whole class that mine and sister c's pronouniation was the best! that made me feel pretty good about myself! He might just be saying it but I liked it anyways!

-Can't wait to hear from you soon! miss you!

Sister Schmidt

Letter #3

-Those pictures were incredible! I am so jealous! Was that at the family reunion!? Or What! That was glass you were skiing on! I am super jealous1 Everyone that was in the computer lab with my started cheering for the pictures! HA ha it was funny! But wow! Can I just say i am SO glad that we went wake boarding the day I get set apart! I can't think of anything else that I would have rather been doing then soaking up the sun playing in the water and wakeboarding with my most favorite people! Its too bad that G-man missed out on that! but it was such a good time!

- I get back in December (6th is the exact date for now) but possibly January... But I will be home and ready to go to Taghee! What a perfect time to come home! Ha and by then Utah will seem pretty warm compared to Ukraine. the only problem is is that I will have forgotten how to snowboard! just kidding I sure hope that I don't forget! That would be a trumatic experience!

-Wow I shouldn't be talking about when I come home seeing as I just left. Don't worry I am not wishing away my mission I just get excited for what comes after this. But That pictures was super sweet of us at the Bird! I love it! I think I am going to have to have you print it and send it to me so I can hang it in my room!

-So my freind (bree's brothers girlfriend) just left to korea yesterday morning at four! I freaked out for her! It is crazy when people leave the MTC! I am kinda terrified when that time comes for me! I am no where near a point where I could leave!

- The language is hard and I struggle lots. I guess I shouldn't have expected to recieve the gift of tongues by clapping my hands but I wish it did! There is a quote on the wall in the building that says somethign like : struggle and work everday to show the lord you are willing and owrthy of the gift of toungues. I like that it says struggle because That is exactly what I do! Ha ha I need to push myself more! The whole bad memory thing is not doing so well for me. Gee I sure wish Heather hadn't dropped that brick on my head when I was two I am deffinately feeling the severe side effects right now! :) ha ha I think its all her fault that I can't remember anything!!! Note from the editor: The brick did NOT damage her head it merely grazed it. Also, in my defense she was trying to climb into my fort and I couldn't allow that. I had no other way of keeping her out of my fort she was climbing up the slide and desperate times call for desperate measures, so I dropped the brick out the door and she wasn't climbing up the slide anymore ;). I am sure all of you would have done the same.

-Sister Carpenter and I am totally opposite and it is so great! In our case opposites attract! she is sweet and really spiritual and wise and I am really bold and forward. Teachers and Some voulunteers say that it is good because I am bold and make them keep the door open when we knock and she is wise and intriguing and make them want to keep the door open :) Looks like its a match made in heaven Literally1 ha ha ha get it. I am a nerd but anyways funny thing we found out this week is that Sis Carp is actually a whole 6 months older than our teacher Weird!!!!! He just turned 22 on saturday!

- So WEDnesday at 5 start praying for me because it is hard and I usually loose it after the appointment! UI am scared we are going to have to teach this mean ex teacher that got fired and now she volunteers with a vengence she is scary and won't speak to you in english! SO pray hard I love you all!!!

Your favorite sister Missionary

Sister Schmidt

Letter #2

-Yeay for another P-day! Sp my last e-mail I was so down and grumpy! I am so sorry I am sure I sounded like such a drag but to be honest i love the mtc! It really is fun! The first week is hard and so Don't judge a mission from what a missionary writes in their first e-mail home! I am sure that will be the same when i get to Ukraine so just so you know don't take anything i say then seriously! But take this seriously........ I am having fun.. I love the people I am around!

- It is crazy how much time you spend in class! But i need it! We usually are in class for about ten hours a day.. io am sure you can only imagine how i start to get after sitting so long and then comnine that with 19 year old immature boys and I become worse then them!!! ha ha ha It is so funny! But the language is comming a long.. I thought that the gift of tongues was a snap the fingers and i am fluent...... turns out its not...... you have to work...... really hard! and then maybe you will be able to figure it all out! ha ha but i am getting it.. You would laugh at me somewdays as i sit there staring at my teachers mouth as he ries to help me pronounce love.. ha ha ha it is funny!

-Pray that I can have the spirit while i teach and find balanace in my personality and spirit while i teah as well i am steruggling with it!! Wow i have terrible spelling but no time to fix it! Please forgive me!

-I love you so much! You are great1 Don't forget about me! Keep sending me letters 1 Please :) I love you to pronounce loe in ukrainian it is (l-you-b-oh-v) move your lips lots while you say it thats what brat higgins taught me :) ha ha ha 30 seconds left...... love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Your favorite sister missionary Cectpa schmidt