Letter #46 May 23

Hello evryon this will be short. My keypad is sticky and annoying so I don't feel like writting a ton! I lov you all so much happy birthday boys! mom dn't worry th packag will deffinately not be hr in tim but I think it will be here by june 5th and that is whn I will be in Kiev. We are having 3 gnral authories come to our mission to tlak to us! so all missionaris will com in!

Well Life is great missionary work is wonderful but th fruits of our labors are not sprouting. but i guss we learn in th scriptures that good brings good fruit and bod brings bad fruit, and by thir fruits ye shall know them....... hmmm....... So mayb w arn't doing as good as I fel about it. W had one invstigator prepariong for baptism this week but didn't come to church hasn't answerd her phone and frankily is just not raady.
! Love you all!!!!
Sistr Schmidt

Letter #45 May 16

Hi family!
Well first of all I can finally say I have gotten sick on my mission. I have a cold I feel and sound pretty bad. I have yet to make us stay home for a full day. We have just come home early the past two nights. I feel bad meeting with people when I am sick. I want to work but I on't want to get other people sick. My companion is grossed out with me and is frustrated that I am sick. She tries to act nice about it. I just laugh because there is nothing I can do about it but apologize that I have a froggy throat and stuffed nose. Ha Oops. I can't change that I am sick. If it was she was frustrated that we were working I would change that but we are working and that's not what she is frustrated with. So I am praying hard that I get better fast so I stop grossing her out. ha ha ha
(my space bar doesn't really work so bare with me)

This week has been aw some. We have seen miracle after miracle. I am loving it. Heavenly Father blesses us so much even when we are un worthy of it. Thursday I saw an old women carrying groceries down the stairs of a store. I asked if i could her and she started crying. It took us almost an hour to walk around the corner toherhouse. She kept crying and thanking us and I knew that we were sent to her from her heavenly father he loves her so much. Her husband and son had both passed away and we had the opportunity to bare testimony that she would see her family again. It was incredible. I have never felt so neeeded doing any other serve in my life.

We have had so many miracles! Friday, I felt that we really needed to go see our new investigator from celo day. We had not been able to meet with her sense. She didn't have a phone so we just visited her 2 times and she wasn't there. We went and rang the doorbell twice and she didn't answer. We asked all her neighbors if they had her number and no one did. so we left and I was just starting to get sick so i wasn't feeling well and then we decided to write her a note with our number so she could call us. Well In the elevator I was shocked how great i was feeling my throat wasn't swollen so I could talk. We got to the door and Sister Kekaouha told me to ring the bell again so I did. and they answered. Her husband was there and said he had her about us and they were waiting for us. We had a great lesson he said that he thinks the Book of Mormon is true and they loved everything that we told them. We were so excited. after the lesson as soon as we left there building I felt super tired again but it was such a miracle that everything happened perfectly the way it did. It was so amazing. That is only one of many miracles this week but It was awesome, to really recognize the Lord's hand in everything we do.

I love being a missionary and witnessing all theses miracles! I have been so blessed this week, even though I have been sick. Well I love you all so much. You are all in my prayers! love you!
Sister Schmidt

Letter #44 May 9

Well It's official I don't have anything really to say. I loved talking to you last night. It was so great, bet part is though it didn't trunk me out in the least. If anything it just increased my desire to serve and love what I am doing. There is a time and place for every thing and my time right now is to be here in L'viv helping these members and strengthening the branch, in order to help all come unto Christ in their own way. I love this work. I feel like I am now trying to truly find out what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Yes, agreed I wasted time. I wish I had this burning love and desire earlier but better late than ever right. Well I love you all so much. I forgot to tell g-man and Bubs happy birthday. Sorry dudes! But happy birthday. I am sorry mom and didn't get to talk to you personally but know that I love you and look up t you so much. You are the greatest mother in the world. I love you almost more than I love this gospel, but not quite. :) ha Thanks for all that you do for me and for the family. You are so self sacrificing. Never forget how much we love you and sometimes we don't tell you how much we appreciate it, but we always notice all the hard work you do. You are so great. I am sorry I didn't send you anyhting for mothers day but I will bring you home something nice in 7 months! Promise! I love you all. Have a great week. Can't wait to here from you next week.
Sister Schmidt

Letter #43 May 2

So Today has been a great week. We had a day that we had to spend in the celo and I sent you my letter to president because it has the story but I didn't want to write it again. It was a cool experience to really just drop all of our pride and st I am not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16) I find myself holding back because of my own pride. It's terrible when we are the ones holding ourselves back from all the blessings we could be receiving. I decided to read about humility and what it truly meant to be a humble person. I read in Preach my Gospel and I was brought to my knees. I lack humility. I will be so upfront there are just times when I think I am awesome. That is so bad. We are nothing, we are as low and nothing as the dust of the earth.I read Masiah 4:11 ( would recommend all to read) “I would that ye should remember and always retain a rememberance of the greatness of God and you own nothingness and his goodness and long suffering towards you unworthy creatures” Wow if that doesn't help you remember I don't know what does. How dar we have pride and think we are great. Shame on me. We are truly nothing without Him. And If we ever forget that, he will remind us very fast and it is not usually nice.

In order to truly be an instrument in the hands of the Lord I will have to give everything I am all my wants and desires. I have to leave it all behind. I will leave it all on the alter of sacrifice. I know that as I do this I will truly learn what it means to be a disciple of Christ. I will learn the higher meaning of humility. I know that as I humble myself and give my will and my all to the Lord we will b blessed we will receive our greatest desires, baptisms. I am so grateful for the opportunity to really see things in perspective. The worst thing is I am stuck in the pride cycle. I wish I could come to this point and always keep in rememberance my nothingness but It is an on going battle. I strive to be so much better and then I get prideful as the Lord blesses me and I forget that it is Him doing EVERYTHING. I truly can do nothing with out my Lord and Savior for that I owe Him everything. But even as I give him Everything I am still ever indebted to him.

Lauren's letter to the mission president:

Well it was a miraculous experience when I realized how much I need to be better and keep changing and growing. I a no where near the missionary I want to be. And I know I have to be the missionary I want to become in order to become the missionary I want to be. I am working hard at being consecrated missionary and giving up my will and being as humble as possible. This week in the celo was a great experience personally for Sister K and I. We left our will behind us we did everything we felt the spirit told us. We knocked on door after door and got rid of fears and pride and just did all we could. After lots of tracting I was walking ans I had just thought to myself, Well this isn't going anywhere. then Heavenly Father proved me wrong and gave us a miracle. A lady called to us and asked us where we were what were our name tags and books. We went to her apartment and had a lesson and she become a new investigator. It's crazy how the Lord just blesses us when we are obedient. I wish I wouldn't have doubted but I am grateful we did all that we could and most of all gained a testimony of loosing ourselves and our will in the work.

Letter #42 April 27th

Hello Everyone,
Okat what a great week. Easter here is out of control, I loved being able to see the people of Ukraine go to church. It is one of the only days int he year that they actually go to church funny huh! It was crazy people were flocking to church to get their easter bread baskets blessed by the priests. I felt SO out of my element. I liked that they were going to church but I didn't like that they were going to the wrng church. Everyone stared at us because we were the "wrong church" I just can't wait to tell you about all my amazing experiences in Ukraine. I wish e-mail was enough but it just isn't to tell you about EVERYTHING!

Well lately what has been on my mind is how I can be a better more effective missionary. I am having fun I am enjoying my mission but I am just not doing it right. Oh PS Andre is getting baptised. This is part of what sparks all of this thought. Why was it after I left that Yuli got baptised and now andri is going to get baptised the day before my birthday next month. i am so escited for them that they finally did it. But Why was it after I left. What was it that I didn't do while I was there. i want people to make that commitment when I am there and I am working with them. I want to be such a better missionary.

I am not a good missionary. There is so much i need to do and be in order to help these people come unto Christ. I have the desire but something is missing because I am still not the missionary I am supposed to be. I just wish I was a more powerful instrument inthe hands of my Savios. I read an e-mail from a friend that served his mission a while ago. He is now home and doing other things with his life but he was a pwerful and incredible missionary I have not seen him sine but I kow from his e-mails home that he truly was a servant of the Lord. I know I bare the Lord's name on my tag but am I truly doing his name Justice. i am not helping all His children come unto him. What about my teaching is not right. I want to be like my freind I read his e-mails and felt the spirit spilling out through his words. I wnat that I want to be alma and Amulek. I committed mylsef on the way to L'viv that thats the missionary I was going to become. I want to be so mch better I want to have baptisms I want to help these people come unto Christ. I want to declare repntance to all those in the streets on L'viv What hols me back? My own pride and fears? Where is my faith when I have a fear of men. I have the spirit pulsing through my fingertips as I write knowing that the power that can come through this gospel. How do I changing the surging in my bloodviens to words that knock peoples socks off? It's somehting I wnat. I want to have throw down lessons where there is no denying that we are here called of God. That is the wish of my heart. i love you all

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