My new missionary, Sister Thomas, is so awesome!

Dear Family!!!

My new missionary, Sister Thomas, is so awesome! Her faith is so strong, and so we set some really high goals for this week and for this move call. I know that as we work together in faith we will be able to achieve more than we think we can. This week has definitely put my faith to the test though!! We have a baptismal goal of four for the move call...a number I was definitely a little afraid of. But we have so many prepared people. Soo many! However, they all also have seemingly complicated concerns. I know that if it is right for them to be baptized right now, they will be--Heavenly Father will prepare a way. We just need to do all the prep work so the miracle can occur. So we are working really hard to visit them/really follow up with them every day. This week has been a little discouraging as three of our most promising investigators did not make it to church. There are still some major obstacles to overcome, but the beauty of the Gospel is that God knows the whole iceberg and as we seek His Spirit we can know simple solutions to complicated problems. We are going to do our best and I know that through the power of God we can.

As for our RCLAs, we are still working on identifying who we want to all rescue and how to do it, but we are definitely working with the ward in that area. We had a great meeting with one of our Bishops this week and were able to identify a family they want to become more firmly rooted into the ward. It was also a great opportunity for us to ask the Bishop for member referrals--which he gave. Also, I had a cool experience where a ward member gave us a referral who lives nearby. We are really excited!

I just love Sister Thomas. She has really worked hard to be the best missionary she can be! I am continually impressed with her desire to listen to the counsel of our leaders and to do the invitations immediately. She is also reading her scriptures every chance she gets in the morning and night personal times. There is a desire to become an effective tool in the Lord's hands, and I know she already is. I still need to be doing a better job of helping her feel knowledgeable about all the things we have to do as missionaries, but it really is impossible to learn all at once. So we will keep doing our best! She is awesome and soo fun!! Really she is helping me more than I am helping her! I am so grateful for this chance to, in a way, restart my mission. As I have been learning, it has brought me back to when I first came and my vision for the mission. It has been an eye opener for me.

In my gospel study, I feel like I have really been focusing on our investigators during my personal study. I love how everyday I can find just what I need for them in the Book of Mormon. God is so good to us. He really is guiding my mission--I can't let Satan try and convince me otherwise! I love this work, and I love my Heavenly Father. I have really tried this week to make my prayers more meaningful as well. I have been trying to picture Him in my mind so I remember to whom I am actually speaking. I think it helps me feel more like it is an actual conversation. I know He really is my loving Father in Heaven. And He gave me such a wonderful family to help support me too. I am so grateful for you all!!!!!

Well, gotta go!!! We are going to go play with my recent converts---soo excited!!

---Sister Brooke Smith