letter #50 June 20th

Hello to my most loved people in the whole world!

Well You are never going to guess how the weather has been here in L'viv....Rainy and Cold. I feel like it is March again, April was even warmer than it has been this week. We had a Less active tell us that everyone wheres coats all of June, We laughed at her... Now we are laughing at us laughing at her as we hide under our umbrella and try to walk close to stay warm and dry. It was super funny! Well this week Was alright, We didn't have all that great of numbers. It feels good when you feel like your work is really going somewhere. This was not one of those weeks. ha but it was a good week. We pretty busy all week but It didn't feel outrageously awesome and like we helped thousands come unto Christ. I will say though we have been working really hard to get activities going every evening at the church. We don't have anything on Monday because it is against the handbook but Tuesday is YSA Wednesday is Mission Prep and Family History Thursday is Gospel English Friday is Night of Friendship (its like FHE but sharing our talents. Each week will be a different person/member sharing their talents with the group) then Saturday is Sports where we [play different games with the kids outside during the day. This week was a flop but it's okay it's like any party... The beginning is really awkward and you ask yourself why didn't I even do this this was a dumb idea I have no friends no one is coming to my party just the awkward kid that come to everything..... But then by the end of the night you forgot it was even awkward and there are a ton of people and its awesome. Well we ar at the beginning stages of the party right now but by the end of the summer I am hoping and praying that it really hits and people come and it really helps activate less active strengthen members and bring in future members. I have caught the vision nd am working helping missionaries and members see what President had in mind when he started this.

We also have been working for the past two or three weeks for a luau. It will be happening this Saturday. We are trying really hard to get the members excited and have a lot of participation in getting it ready because we all know if they feel responsible they feel an obligation to come. So that is our challenge this week. I think it will be a blast I am super excited and think it will be a great thing for the branches. We are combining it so that the members can get out of the us against your branch mentality. I feel like I have been blessed to see the mindset changing in front of my eyes. It's great. So Saturday is looking bright and promising. The only problem is, is that transfers are on Thursday.... So I find out tomrrow if I or Sister K are getting transferred. I have mixed feelings. I really really really want to stay but it is wearing on me a little and I have gotten feelings this week that Ineed to get ready to go. I am doing my bst to look past ransfers and act like they aren't even here. but there is the ittle bit of worry in me that I will have worked so hard to get these activities going then get the boot right when they happen. But if thats the case it just means I was supposed to be somewhere else. So with transfers I find out tomorrow night then leave the next night on a trian into kiev tofind out where I will be serving. Well if K leaves then that is what she will do but we are prett convinced that she is staying no matter what. So Whatever happens happens! So I love you all! I hope you have a great week! Embrace the summer for me! And I will embrace spreading the Gospel for you! Love you Love this work Love this gospel!
Sister Schmidt
Keep your head up "the future is as bright as your faith!"

letter #49 June 14

Hi FAmily! This is going to be a short one because my space bar is not working and it is rough to try and write and not have it work very well!
So yes this week I hit my year mark! Thursday is the big day June 16, 2011. I don't feel like I have been out on my mission that long so it is really werid for me! Good news I still love my mission. I am reading the book you sent and Iam enjoying it. I hopet hat Icanuseall that is writtentheirandtruly change our work and find more success in helping others come unto Christ. I lvoe you all so much! Everything is great! Iwill let youknowifI get thepackage! HAPPY FATHERS DAY on Sunday! Love you daddy! I sent you a letter so it should be coming soon!

Letter #48 June 7

Surprise I got emergency transferred again!!!!!!............... ha ha I am kidding! But I really am in Kiev cool huh. So this week has been great. It started with a sisters exchange on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was really fun to have a day with sister carpenter and see what a great missionary she has become. Then it was cool to spend the day with her little greenie. Yes she is training. cool huh. I had a great way to learn from both sides of the spectrum, experienced missionary trainer then Greenie with loads of faith. It was a great two days and we worked really hard. Then now we are in Kiev with sister Whitney and sister paliha, who is also training. So yes both my old companions are trainings (and yes that means that a younger Ukrainian speaking missionary trained before me. Was I a little bummed yes, did i want to train no. am I sad about it now, NOT AN OUNCE. Training is too hard and a think that all trainees never really like their trainer and I don't want to not be liked by my companion. So I am okay with it , but yes my pride was a little hurt because I am not ready to train.. eh :) Now I just get to work hard and give it all we got.

So yes we are in Kiev and It has been amazing. We left Sunday night ( as well as ALL missionaries in our mission) got in Monday morning and cleaned up and went to the office and all changed into P-day/ sport clothes and played football and soccer and lots of fun stuff. We then went back and watched the best two years, so so so funny watching it as a missionary and truly understanding the humor of it. Ha ha I loved it I laughed out loud at so many things it was awkward because others wouldn't be laughing and I did alone ha ha what can ya do? So then we had dinner all together and then had FHE with the stiengal family. It was sad it was all about change because in 3 weeks we get our new mission president and things will be changing a lot. I am so excited but nervous. It was sad Sister Robinson cried because she goes home in a week and a half! weird!!! so yeah It was so neat to have FHE with them and here their testimonies of the work and their lives here in Ukraine. They are a great family. It was cool because they involved us in their FHE. They had family council and talked about things as a family. I liked it it reminded me of ours at home. It also gave a good example for us in the future with our own families.

Now today we are meeting at 2 and we will be hearing from President Clayton from the Presidency of the quorum of the seventy and then President Lawrence from the Seventy as well as in the area presidency of Easteren Ukraine. We will only be with them for 2 hours. I wish we could hear from them all day long. But then after they will be doing a fireside for all members and investigators at 7. I hope we will be able to be there for that too if there is room. We then will get back on a train at 10:30 and head to L'viv and get there at 6:30 in the morning and pound it again there. I am really hoping to get answers to prayers and fasting while I am in their presence. There are so many things that I want to work and improve on. I am just struggling to really help these people come unto Christ through baptism. I feel like i am "planting seeds" A lot of them but I want to help with reaping the rewards. It's difficult to truly know how to help each individual person. I enjoy it all so much. There is not a part of missionary work that I don't enjoy. That seems weird but I love it all I just want to be extraordinary at it all. I know how important it is to thrust in my sickly with all my might. I want to give my all to this work. I want to give my heart most of all, my heart and my will. That's where my Heavenly Father will bless me as I work to bring His children into the fold.

This morning I was talking to the sister's about being clay in the hands of our Savior. That is we let Him He will mold and shape us into the people He knows we can become. The way it happens is our choice. He gives us situations through out our missions (and our lives) to help us learn and grow and become who He intends us to become. As a potter does,he can fight and work as hard as he can to mold the clay into a beautiful vase but if the clay won't budge then the vase will not be as beautiful as it could if it would have been soft and prepared to be shaped. It is our choice to be humble and ready for the Lord to work wonders on our hearts. The only thing holding us back from becoming the beautiful vase is ourselves. We have to make a choice. We have to chose to accept the situations Heavenly Father has given us and choose to be humble and ready to be molded. as well give our hearts, our will, our wants and our desires to the Lord, He will make us more. and in due time we WILL become that beautiful vase, but only as we and humble and submissive to the Lord and accept every experience and circumstance the Lord blesses us with and know that is is to help us learn and grow to become what the Lord knows we can become. He know our potently, we do not. Give your life the the Lord and he will make more out of it than you ever could.

I love you all so much. I am praying for you and I am feeling your prayers for me. I know this church is true I know that the Savior is the Redeemer of the World, he is the potter and knows each and everyone of us. He knows who we are and who we can become. As we accept His atonement and try to open our eyes to His will, we will see ourselves with the potential of heaven. Have an incredible week and open your eyes to the miracles of heaven that lay in your path.

Sister Schmidt

Letter #47 May 30th

HELLO!
Thank you all for your love notes! I feel so much love and happiness! You are all great. Well this has been a good week. Best news of all Andri got baptized! The elders caled me after and told me about it so I felt part of i. I guess it was really cute in his testimony he actually mentioned my name and said how grateful he was for my hard work and that I was a great missionary and was so grateful fr me helping make this step in his life. I didn't do anything though. He was just a great kid and with time was ready. I am so happy for him. I hope that they get married and then in a year get sealed int he temple and I could be here for it! Sounds like a great plan to me. Or I guess he should serve a mission then I will come back again after his mission. great plan right? Well this week I have learned about charity is the most important Christlike attribute. I have fond that true chairty and love is formed by force. Ha It is not hard to love those that are easy to love its those times and people that your are forced to love even when you don't want to. That is when true charity and love is formed. So what is charity " Charity suffereth long and s kind, and envieth not and is not pffed up seeketh not her own is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in truth beareth all things believeth all things endureth all things Moroni 8 :48 That is a lot. but why it is so important "If ye have not charity ye are nothing for charity never faileth"