Is It One, Or Is It Two ?

A bit of an odd one this week, not sure if shes being transferred or not, if yes then its just the one, but if shes not transferring out then we will get a double P'day message.

Message No 1:

“ Well... It's transfers this week so P'day isn't until Wednesday... We're only emailing for 1 hour today then again on Wednesday! We haven't been told if we're moving yet but we're pretty sure than we're not, but if one of us does we won't email until next Monday.

I can't believe that this transfer is over already!!!!!

Time really is flying by! Elder Christensen (ZL - Zone Leader) goes home on Wednesday so we will be getting a new one... I'm going to miss him! He's a great leader!! Elder Romney (AP - Assistant to the President) also goes home so we're getting a new AP... We already know who it is... Elder Kopischke! He's Elder Erich W. Kopischke's Nephew and Elder Finerle's (ZL) best friend from home... Pretty cool! We're quite sure that Elder Wilson and Elder Willers will be moving so we should be getting two new Elders in the Salisbury District.

Oh, I think I forgot to say that I asked President Millar about Skyping on Mothers Day... (If I Skype in March or May (English or American))... We received a letter that said American before I left, but President told me last week that I will Skype in March... That's less than two weeks away!!!! Not what I expected :O! That's going to be weird!

This week has been a good week..Other than Sister Bastian being unwell on Tuesday and thankfully she recovered quickly. Then I was unwell on Thursday and haven't quite recovered yet... I keep getting vertigo! :( miserable! I'm alright though!

I emailed President Millar first so I'm running out of time!

I'll email again on Wednesday... Hopefully!! I'm not ready to move or loose Sister Bastian yet! Hopefully I'll have time to send photo's 'cause I have loads!

Have a great week...

Love, Sister Smart

Message No 2:

“ Oioi! It's so weird emailing again this week... I'm glad I am though 'cause I had so much more to say!!!

Sister Bastian and I were asked to speak this Sunday on Resilient Faith... I accepted the challenge and studying was amazing! Trying to write my talk was a nightmare though!!! It mega stressed me out... I reckon you could see steam coming out of my ears! I said lots of prayers and got it finished at 21.00 Saturday evening. Phew! Giving the talk wasn't half as bad as writing it... Thankfully!

On Monday afternoon we had the opportunity to visit Pam, the lady that we found last Sunday. She really is amazing! The spirit is so strong when I am with her. She is the gentlest soul and I love being around her. We are hoping to go to the temple with her this coming Saturday... I can't wait!!

When I was studying for my talk. It was a very enlightening experience ... Faith is so much more than I ever thought it could be. It's never ending! To cut a huge subject small. firstly, I thought that resilient meant unbreakable, but it means to spring back after bending or recovering quickly from difficulty. Faith is essential and we can all have resilient faith. It is our responsibility to develop our own faith. It takes effort but the more we work on it, the stronger it becomes. We can also strengthen one another... Luke 22:31-32. Resilient faith is a resilient testimony. Get on it!!!!!

It's weird to think that we'll be emailing again on Monday. This week is so weird!!

We have so many random things going on this transfer, so we know it will fly by!!!!! And we have MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) this Friday so we'll be traveling from Thursday evening and then a random (non proselyting) day on Friday and we wont get home from this till 21.00ish. Then we have Easter and Sister Bastian's birthday on April 22nd. April 30th is the next transfer day and I know that it will come around like tomorrow! We both think that I will be transferred 30/04... I don't want to because I love Salisbury and Sister Bastian but I know Heavenly Father sends us where he needs us.

We went to a baby shower last night... A Fijian one! Fijian means good food!!! She was due next week but she had the baby last night/this morning at 02.24am. Good timing eh?!

I'm going to try and spend the rest of my time sending photo's as we've taken a few and haven't sent any in a while.

Remember who you are!

Love, Sister Smart

Sister Bastian and I on our way to Stake conference!!! Spring is coming!!!!!!!

Sister Bastian so very pleased with this purchase!!!

Layla wanted to be Sister Smart :) Cutest kids!!

Elder Finerle, Elder Christensen, Sister Bastian and I - Poole Stake conference (Our last time seeing Elder Christensen)

Dinner with The Raratabu's!! AKA Mamma and Papa T (Tema and Tevita). Told you Fijian's did good food! They beamed at me the whole way through my talk this week like proud parents. I love them!!!!

Annie and Mark bought me this bag for Christmas BTW :)

I hope this sends!!!! We laugh every time we watch it!! Saddos!!! You defiantly had to be there.

The start to our awesome Pday last week! In Salisbury Market square.

Salisbury cathedral... I love Sister Bastian!

Sister Macaluso and I on exchange last week!!

A bit blurry but ah well!! Sister Macaluso, myself, Sister Bastian and Sister McLaws

Changes !!!

I know they say that Missions can change people, but I really cant believe sometimes, that these emails are coming from the same person who went out only 4 1/2 months ago...

“ Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This week has been intense!!!! Amazing!!

We Had interviews with President Millar on Thursday and then we had an exchange so we got a lift from President and Sister Millar to Bouremouth... How amazing is that?! 1h 45m in the car with two spiritual giants! I love them so much!!

President made tuna sandwiches for us all so we ate as we drove. It's crazy how comfortable you get with people even though you only see them once or twice every six weeks. I love them so much.

Exchange was good... I was with Sister Macaluso from Milan, Italy. She's great! You really do start to miss your companion after a while though!

It was Poole Stake Conference this weekend and it was lovely... Saturday we didn't get to bed until 11.15pm though! We were exhausted last night!!! I know it doesn't seem late but it really is as a missionary!!!

The session was all about hastening the work and we heard some great testimony's. President and Sister Millar spoke and President had all the full time Missionaries stand and recite our purpose... It was Ace!!

Sunday was lovely too it was all about becoming a Disciple of Christ. Then we had a nice dinner appointment with a Fijian family... They said "WELCOME HOME!" as we walked through the door! They obviously love the missionaries... We have a lot of love for them and them for us! They really do like to feed you though! (Photo to follow) And then to top it all off we saw an AMAZING miracle!!

On Friday when we were on exchange, Sister Macaluso and I received a return appointment with somebody we had taught in the street. Sister Bastian and I found the address and realised it was a little further away than expected and in a small village we didn't even know existed. We got on the bus and received some help from a lovely couple as to where we should get off the bus. We found the address and it was very apparent that it was empty. We knocked anyway and of course didn't get a response. We knocked the whole street but unfortunately there wasn't anyone that was willing to listen to our message. We turned around and questioned where to go next.

Straight across the road there was a building but we weren't 100% that it was a house as it looked like a chapel. We got closer and realised it was a house so we decided to knock. A lovely lady answered the door, we introduced ourselves and she said "Latter-day Saints?" and we responded yes and she said "I am too". Sister Bastian and I were shocked and very excited when she invited us in. The ladies name is Pam and she went on to tell us how she had joined the church in South Africa 20 years ago and that she had been married in the temple but unfortunately the marriage ended in divorce about 10 years later.

She moved to England after the divorce and had "lost her way". She had recently been thinking about the gospel and was considering either writing a letter to have her name removed or returning to the gospel. She expressed how much she missed the church and specifically the temple. We told her about the Salisbury Chapel that is being built and invited her to visit the Temple with us with on March 22nd. She was over moon with the opportunity and expressed her love for the Temple, the Gospel and Sister Bastian and I for knocking on her door. The spirit was very strong the whole visit but when I offered the prayer as we were leaving I got a little overwhelmed. Then when she hugged me and she hugged me as though we had just saved her life. I got our of there and sobbed! Heavenly Father loves us all and knows all of us personally. He knew that Pam needed this opportunity in her life. And He knew that I needed to feel a personal purpose here in Salisbury.

As I told you last week I have been studying "The Fourth Missionary" and I have been working very hard to form a better relationship with my Heavenly Father. I know that He loves me and I know that He is shaping me into who He knows I can be. Also, I am starting to feel a little more worthy of being Sister Bastian's companion... I love her and I love the opportunity I have to learn from her.

We've had a lovely day as Salisbury Cathedral today... The weather is lovely and we thought we'd take advantage!

I love being a missionary!!!

I love you all!

Sister Smart

4 Months Out and She Cant Believe It !!!

This has to be a record for the time taken to get the post up on the Blog!!

“Well, I don't even know where to start!!! I can't believe that I've been out for 4 months...... CRAZY!!!

Sister Bastian is great... We get on so well! She really is an amazing Missionary and that's great but I can't help but compare myself to her and then I feel terrible! She assures me that I am great and that she couldn't do it without me but she has to say that!

I've started to study something called (I think) "The Forth Missionary"... Try to find it online! It's written for missionaries but it really is good for everyone. You just have to adjust it a little. I'm hoping it will help me be the person/Missionary I want to be!

We have two investigators that are being baptised on March 29th. I'm so pleased for them! The work here in Salisbury really is moving quickly! We've been here three weeks and it feel like we've just gotten here... We are teaching some very interesting people that will see a huge change (for the better) in their lives if they come unto Christ.

This last week we had a dinner appointment everyday besides Sunday... It's so weird not going home to eat. One day we had lunch out because we didn't have time to go home and then we had a dinner appointment.. those are the days that you collapse as you walk through the door! :) Oh and I still managed to loose another 4lb this week!!

I didn't feel too clever earlier on this week... I had a woozy head! blocked sinuses, I think. I feel better now but I was freezing for like three days straight... Not cool (pardon the pun)!

At one of our dinner appointments this week the member asked me what my favorite element of the gospel was. At first, I said the Plan of Salvation... Then I refined it a little to the Atonement (which is essential to the POS). It's something that I have been studying and thinking about a lot recently. How blessed are we?!?

I think (I've done a little research) that when most people think about Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made they think about repentance and him atoning for our sins. Heavenly Father knew that we would make mistakes in this life so he sent our brother, Jesus Christ to pay the price. And that's amazing!! BUT... There is so much more to it. I don't think we will ever be able to comprehend it... Not while we're on the earth anyway. Without him we wouldn't have had the opportunity to receive a physical body which means we wouldn't have this amazing experience to learn.

I love my savior, my brother and my friend Jesus Christ. I challenge you to get to know him better and develop your understanding of his Atonement.

I love you all, Sister Smart

This was our treat day... They're seriously good! Cadbury Moose filled Eggs!

The Salisbury District: Elder Willers, Elder Astle, Elder Wilson, Elder Schmoekel, Sister Bastian and me! This really does depict our District well! I love these guys!!! Oh and Elder Astle is from Riverton, UT!! Brody Astle... Annie and Mark, do you know any Astle's?

We cleaned out the cupboard that we have named the "Elders flat find cupbored" last Pday... We found this!!! We honestly nearly wet ourselves laughing!!!! Our pet fish are now on display in the kitchen!!

This is me praying on one of the days I was freezing!! Sister Bastian thought I looked funny so she took a photo!!