Sister Monica Schmidt: 4 Months Out !!!!

Hello to everyone back home!

I can't believe it has been 4 months since I left home! It has gone by fast, but then it hasn't. When I think about all that I have done it makes sense that I have been out 4 months but then I think about it more and I am speechless by how fast it has gone by. Anyway, this week was good. The branch president's wife, Sister Roberts said that we can do our laundry at her house instead of going to the laundry mat. Sister Lovell and I were so excited for that. We carved pumpkins and had fun doing that. On Wednesday we went to the Spokane Temple and it was so righteous! haha:) I got to do the work for a lady named Mary Monica Corcoran. How cool is that!?!? Monica is not a common name, and I was lucky enough to have been given her name to do in the temple. Then we went out to eat and we went to the mission office and we then ate at Sweeto Burrito before we left Spokane Valley to go back to Lewiston. Lydia Bjornn is doing FANTASTIC! She is coming back! :-) She is taking the steps she needs to come fully back into the church. She does not want me to leave. She wants me to stay here for my whole mission. (I don't know if I could do that.) I am excited for her and her desire to do what is right. I can relate to her and it is awesome to see the light radiate in her eyes!!

President Dymock writes a mission wide email to all of us missionaries every week. This is the email from this week. I thought it was amazing and I got goosebumps up and down my body.

“I Had No Real Purpose in Life”

We were with Elder Richard G. Maynes of the Presidency of the Seventy this week. He told this story to teach us about how the Lord prepared people. He met a recent convert not long ago in New York City who was living the high life. She had everything she could every want - a great husband, high rise apartment living, memberships to a tennis club, a golf club and more. One day as she was getting ready for work, she turned on the news to learn that one of the Twin towers had been hit by an airplane. Her husband worked there. She called and he answered and said he was in the other tower. She was so relieved. Shortly after she said good-bye, she saw the other plane hit the second tower. Her husband was killed. She said she realized I had no real purpose in life. For the first time, she needed to know if there really was a God. She began searching and attended many churches. Finally one day, she walked into an LDS chapel and met the missionaries. She said she felt at home. Three weeks later she was baptized. She has since had the baptismal work done for her husband and later their sealing. Elder Maynes asked us what response would the missionaries have received the day before the accident. Not interested. What about two weeks later? That is why we need to always be asking people and not be discouraged if they are not ready - yet. When they are ready, they will respond. It is our work to follow the Spirit and be led to those who are ready and searching. This lady found the missionaries and is so grateful for the gospel in her life.

SLY (Sure Love You), President Dymock

I help give purpose to people's lives and I am grateful for this opportunity to do it 24/7. I love this gospel. It is Christ's church on the earth and I am glad to be baptized into it. We had a lesson with Isaac Lueck this week. We showed him how he can read the Book of Mormon on his phone and or listen to it since he walks to work because he doesn't have a car. He is super pumped to read the Book of Mormon and I can't wait for him to find out that it is true for himself. I know it is true because I have read it and prayed to Heavenly Father and asked if it is true. I am a missionary and I am loving it!

Love you all and miss you all! toodaloo!

Sister Schmidt