Letter #63 September 19th

Well this week was a little long. I felt a lot of pressure to get great numbers for the wrong reason. I got distracted from my real purpose and why I came on a mission and why I am here. I found myself with less energy and not as happy all the time like before. I gained a testimony again that this is the work of the Lord and HE qualifies us for the work. Everything we have an do is because of his love for His sons and daughters and we are just here to be His hands in this work. It is nothing that we do or say because all we do and say should be led by Him through the Holy Ghost. I feel this weight of the work and I am not sure why. It's frustrating because I really want to be all pumped and ready to go but something is weighting me down. Please pray for me to be able to refocus and truly do this work the way the Lord wants me to. I want o be the best missionary that Sister Schmidt can be. I know that I am here for a purpose but if I am not fully in tune with the spirit then I will not be led to do exactly what he wants me to do exactly when he wants me to do it. I am grateful for the atonement to help me start anew and try and tray again. Perfection is a long processes that we don't fulfill on this life but we have to be active in our attempt everyday. The atonement of Jesus Christ is the only way to do it.

This week we were so excited our less active members is not active and we had the opportunity to help her into the temple to do baptisms for the first time. It was cute to see her so excited and happy about the temple. She has made a plan in order to go every single week. I really hope that the ward is ready to accept her and support her. I feel like sometimes members in the church (myself included) are like the popular kids in middle school they analyze who they like and who they want to accept. If people are a little weird they find themselves slow to accept them but as soon as someone great comes a long they open the door for them as soon as possible. I hope by seeing this happen I will be more aware of myself and more open to take in EVERYONE. Well her mother sae the change in her and noticed that she was becoming active and going to church every sunday and this sunday morning she said hey alexandra I want to come to church with you this morning. Her mother is also a less active but she will be active soon.

We also had out recent convert get a calling yesterday and the other recent convert that just got baptized last Saturday already had her interview with bishop[ and has a temple recommend. There are some grat things happening here. It's a blessing and a privledge to be here and see then happen right infront of my eyes.This week was also Yulia's birthday. We were able to go out to dinner with her and wish her a happy birthday. She is so dear to me. We will be friends the rest of our lives. I can't wait for you to meet her.

This week the assistants called us and asked us to do an experiment for President. He told us to be missionaries all the time to tlak to every single person that crossed out paths and count each person. so it was interesting to really see how many people cross our paths everyday. we attempted to talk to 115 people and we had 42 conversations and only got 7 peoples numbers. But that was all in a time frame of being out on the street inbetween out meetings so we were out on the street for about 3 and a half hours. maybe four. It was interesting. I think President had some other missionaries do it too and he will be reporting this experiment in the next zone conferences.

I am loving this work I was bummed to notice one morning during study that it was my 15 month marl o the mission. time is just flying past. I am scared to realize how fast these last two transfers left will go by. I am not ready to come home I don't think I ever will be. Hey maybe I just won't come home! ha ha you can just come here! Thats a great plan! Just kidding! Well I love you all so much . This is the greatest work ever. I love being here I love it all. Most of all I LOVE YOU!!!! Take care!

Я вас люблю ця церква істина!!!! Бог живе! удачі!

з любовю

Сестра Шміт

Letter #62 September 12

Well Ukraine is amazing yak zavjdiy! (as always) Ha it looks like a made an accident on typing yeay for Ukrainian.

So this week we had a BAPTISM! What a great week! Well First off it was a little slow we were doing a lot of tedious work but it was okay. We were doing what we could it just wasn't feeling as outstanding as we always hope for. But we had some great lessons with potential investigators that are referrals from a young RM they are her roommates we had FHE and made brownies then met some members now that I think about it we were running around a lot because we were busy but then Thursday came and we went to the TEMPLE! It was AWESOME! A group from Romania was there! Talk about warming my soul! I loved it but we couldn't communicate at all Well get this! So I say what I thought meant how are you that is what the onisimus boys taught us and her eyes got all big and was like NO NO NO and put her hands in a X and I was like whoops I totally said something bad. So i think the boys must have played a trick on us but she said baptisty baptisty so maybe only the baptists say it ha ha i repented for saying something bad in the temple i just don't know what i said. ha ha i felt bad. So then we had a great lesson with these disables members and they were so excited to see all the new pictures of Charlotte! Heather and Chard she prayed the most beautiful prayer about your daughter she blessed her to be happy and always active in the church and full of charity it was cute!

So then after that we were on a bus and President called. I always get nervous when he calls but then he was answering a question about speaking in tongues ( I don't know how to answer when people ask about speaking in tongues when it talks about it in 2 nephi 31 feel free to answer your feelings) and he told us that Sister Stiles and I have been leading the whole mission every week of the transfer. I was shocked. I knew we were doing good but leading the mission!? WHAT!? well that was all then he laughed and said Stay humble ha ha and then that was it. I love President Klebingat he is so funny. So that crazy but a little bit of cool info!

Well then we had a lesson in a bar! yikes I was so bold I think I was more bold than EVER This lady was so sad her son dies and has refused to let herself be happy for 3 years. She cries and says she wants to change and we happy then her mind immediately changes and she says she doesn't want to. It's weird Her soul is aching for the gospel but her mind won't let her. Pray for her to overcome that and be truly ready to do all that is required to embrace The cleaning power of the Atonement and gospel of Jesus Christ. Her name is Volya.

Saturday BAPTISM! President's letter explains the main parts of the day. EXCEPT! We had a recent convert who is a professional singer going to sing at the baptism well he couldn't come so his wife just said for us to sing (SISTER SCHMIDT IS NOT A SINGER) so I ask the elders to sing with us and they say no. So then we had to sing pretty much soloed child's prayer did terrible almost cried then then no one was leading so i jumped up to lead because i felt the responsibility on my shoulders and then had no clue how to lead right then i look int he back and sister klebingat (SO intimidating) and her two sounds were leading trying to have me follow them I really almost cried then after she told me not only how to lead but how i should learn how to sing better oh also did i mention i have a cold and couldn't breathe? yeah it wanted to DIE! but its okay though because WE HAD A BAPTISM! Ha well anyways I ran out of time wish me luck writing my essays! LOVE YOU ALL!

Keep the faith

Sister Schmidt

Letter #61 September 5

Allo moya cimya!!!

Oh how much i love all of you! Mom you are the best! you answered all my questions (well at lest the one you knew the answers to) So It's September! How did that happen? Time is quick! Time is weird though. Days are long weeks are fast and the months don't even exist! :) well This week has been good. I am a little tired. For the first time we didn't go running. It's weird i think I'm more tired if i don't go running. HA that's a good thing. sister Stiles has been feeling under then weather all week so that's unfortunate but she has worked really hard! This week we had a lot of crazy things happen. I think this week i am going to give a play by play :)

Monday- P-day Spent with Sister Zenger and Sister Little I love sister Zenger nd miss her so it was good. We saw all these amazing flowers in center and ate yunny Mexican food! we then went to FHE with cute little member

Tuesday- The L'viv Sister came to our apartment at 5:30 because Sister Kekauoha is going to Bulgaria. Little sleep but it was okay. Then sister carpenter went on a hunt for my lost Ukrainian outfit that ws specially handmade for me and ws 100 dollars that the sister left it on their bus. We called the taxi nd went to the buses and never found it. I m super bummed. The worse part is the member hand made it for 3 months. Then we had meetings it was good. Then that night we went on exchanges with the RS president and this sister that is from cherkasii and got set apart and needed to be with sister because she was going to the mtc the next morning. So I went with the RS pres and it ws incredible we really bonded and she was great with this member that got baptised with the first members of the church 20 years ago but is inactive. It was a great lesson nd evening. Then we went home with our new companion and got things ready for her then at 3 in the morning we Had to help her out and get her to her taxi. It was really hard going back to bed after that.

So Wednesday we worked hard and didn't feel very successful. We were a little tired.

Thursday the sisters came back ad we were on exchanges till their train left t night but their plane got delayed so Sister Whitney and Carpenter were with us. Sister Whitney and I were together and she TOTALLY trunked me out. Ugh but I got over it just took day boooo to trunky topics. then Sister Kekauoha came back and we spent ll evening finding less actives. It was good to talk to her. I think she is struggling in L'viv little. It makes me sad for her and sister Carpenter I just love them both so much.

Friday was good we weekly planned forever!

Saturday We were bust finding more lost sheep but found a family that wants to practice English. BOOO to English but hopefully we can get them into the gospel.

Sunday was GREAT! So out random investigator Helen who has been in America showed up to church. Our other investigator Alexandra passed her baptismal interview and is getting baptised Saturday. Then we Had great lesson with her to get her excited and strengthened for the temptation that is coming before baptism. We then found a skirt for a less active that didn't have one and she was SO excited to dress nice for church. It's perfect her birthday is next Sunday so she will look all nice and pretty for Church nd her birthday. So the highlight of the week and the day was in Relief Society. The President Who is intense and never says anything nice especially about the missionaries because and I quote "She couldn't ENDURE the missionary lessons with the sisters" But I have been working SO hard to get in with her and it has been working. Well this week she stood up and told all the sister how great we were and ll the work we were doing. She encouraged all sisters to find time to come out and wi\ork with us that it strengthened her testimony by being with us and helping your sisters come back. She was great I almost cried. It was amazing. I am so grateful for her. I love her!!! I love working her It has been intense but I feel like we are really gaining the trust of the members for missionaries to come! What great work! What missionary work are you doing? Are you doing your visiting teaching and home teaching? Are you helping the missionaries recacivate less actives? Are you living as an example so that non members see your light? We live what we preach so get out and start preaching through your actions! You are amazing! I love you and heavenly father loves you even more!

Sister Schmidt

Letter #60 August 29, 2011

Well Once agian I come to e-mail with a huge smile! I love life. Ha ha I think I must be doing something wrong if I am loving my mission this much. I talk to missionaries who say it's hard and that this is the hardest things they have ever doe in their lives but to be honest I am just happy ha ha! So I totally ran my companion to the ground. I think I have more energy and happiness than the normal person (true fact stated in my blessing) because this week I was so gung ho about the work. We were on exchanges and I felt our area just really struggling. So then when Sister Stiles came back we really worked hard. We visited a lot of our less actives and we had some great experiences. Saturday night we had SOOOO much time to go see less actives/ We travels an hour and a half to go see three lost sheep. It was so far away and not a single one would open the door on us. BUT we at least found that one didn't live there anymore. And the miracle was that at least one person was at each apartment to give us the info we needed. I was SO happy that heavenly Father helped these people to be home so we could know what to do with the. So then we had to walk 45 minutes down thi road inthe hot weather. (I think my companion wanted to punch me but she is too nice to say if she is frustrated. she is so sweet) but then we had a great lesson with recent converts then headed out again to find our lost sheep. we went to a house where a year ago we went to her when i was being trained in the same area. She wasn't interested then and was in the processes of moving. So I was just hoping to get her new address well. Her husband/boyfriend opened the door. I was shocked to see him so i asked for her she saw us and with a smile and a happy voice said " OH HI!!!" (of course in Ukrainain) so she told us to come in got us tea and was just nice. So we sat down she opened up and just asked all the questions she had been thinking about. she missed church and her family wasn't supportive. We sat and testified of the church to her and to her family. It was amazing to watch her stand up for the church. I love saving souals. We had 5 of our less actives come to church I about cried at church! I love missionary work and I love you all. ahve a great week! This gospel is true! "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
Sister schmidt