Decisions, Decisions

Monica at a member's home in Moscow, ID
Beautiful view!

Hello Everyone!

So a lot of emotions have gone through my body this week, mainly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I went on exchanges this weekend with the Sister Trainer Leader ~ Sister Paget. She came out with me over 15 months ago and she is going home early just like every sister who came out with me. She and a few others are leaving on December 17th and she told me that I could go home then as well. So we called the mission President and I talked to him about it and I asked him if he could take the knots out of my stomach and he just chuckled. During the course of a couple days so many thoughts were racing through my mind of either staying the full time or going home early. Both of the options felt good and then they felt bad! I don't like making big decisions that have an affect on the future Sister Schmidt. I obviously was praying about it and freaking out about it. On Sunday I decided to fast and receive extra strength and help. I was so tempted to have one of the senior couple missionaries telephone home and get your opinions on what I should do. All day Sunday the day of  Jan 16th kept popping into my head and I thought it was just because I was so used to saying that date from the very beginning of my mission. But I decided to stay the whole time.

I was debating whether or not to write about this and inform you that I could be home in 2 months and be home for Christmas but I came to the conclusion that you wouldn't care because I got my answer to stay out. I believe I have a few more pimples populating my face now because of this... haha :)

So the teenage boy, Ryan Miller, came to church yesterday! He disappeared before we could ask him anything. We are seeing him today to check up on him. We hope he enjoyed it! We had a lesson with him this week and we knocked on his door and his brother, who does not like Mormons just yelled when he saw us in the peep hole, "The Mormons are here!" I just laughed. We were talking to Ryan for a few minutes when his parents rolled into their driveway and Ryan asked if we could come inside. We did and for the first few minutes Ryan was showing us around his house and he showed us his room ~ it is covered in ninja turtle stuff... I APPROVE! His parents were making dinner in the kitchen and getting us chairs to sit in to teach Ryan. We taught him the Restoration of the Gospel and he understands the whole thing! He told us in his own words what we had just taught him. He is such a smart kid!

We taught the Leonard's this week as well! I love them so much! We taught them about faith and repentance and we did a demo for them with water, pepper and hand sanitizer! It was entertaining. I love this family! Brother James Leonard is such a sweet man with a caring soul. He is walking evidence of the Atonement!!!!!!!!!!!!! The church is true!

It has been raining here like crazy! I love it but I do miss the sun! It is shining right now and I am so happy and so is my companion. All of us 6 sisters in the zone are going to be carving pumpkins today as a sisters pday activity. I have no clue what to carve......

One of the ward's investigators named Mike is awesome! He lives out in the middle of nowhere! We followed up on his reading and he is doing it! He understands and believes it! Magical words to a missionaries' ear! We have a lesson with him tonight and we are excited! Mike is such a fun old man who is very racist. There is never a dull moment with him.

NOELLE!!!!!!!!!! NOELLE!!!!!!! (imagine I am singing this...) We taught Noelle and it went really weird. She is hard core 7th day and we have come to realize that she is not wanting to change ~ she is wanting to teach us ~ so we are going to have to discontinue our visits with her.  We are going to inform her of it this week.  We just boldly testified to her that the Book of Mormon is true and that we would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts (teachings) than by any other book. She was taken back because she was expecting us to have our faith shaken. My faith is rock solid!

I got my hair cut today. I only got 3 inches taken off!

Sister Andruski and Schmidt at a LLama Farm!

I love you all and miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Toodaloo!

Sister Schmidt