A Tough Week !!!

Short lived though...

“
Well... This week has been long and tough. I think I have reached a mid mission crises!!! Unfortunately it seems to have gotten worse the past couple days :| I am praying that it has reached it's worse and it is only going to get better.

Sister Draper and I have formed a plan from the "Adjusting to missionary life" booklet that will hopefully help. The next couple weeks will tell I guess... Part of the plan includes exercise and healthy eating so hopefully you'll be seeing a slimmer Sister Smart!

Earlier on this week we decided to try a new way of finding. We checked with the police first and then drew the Plan of Salvation out really big with chalk on the high street. It proved to drum up a lot of interest which is cool but it caused a problem with teaching "two by two". We are hoping to involve members next time and perhaps the Elders so we can be more effective.
We had one guy that was quite rude and when things aren't going great in general, it's hard to keep your cool! In the real/non mission world I wouldn't have stood for it but as a representative of Christ I bit my tongue... I need to learn how to be more Christlike throughout my life. I'm sure Christ wouldn't shoot his mouth of weather he was a missionary or not!

Last Pday we went to the farm again but with the whole district... It was cool but overwhelming, I'm starting to be a real missionary and get freaked out in social situations :| I'll be a right weirdo when I get home!!!

This past week was Zone Conference (3 Zones together). Elder Salas has been moved back to Kennington (The Spanish Ward), so I got to spend time with him... I miss him so much!!!! Sister Draper thought I was going to hug him because I was so excited to see him... Hahaha!! I honestly feel like he is one of my best friends!

Zone Conference was inspiring as usual... The AP's did a skit to teach about companionship unity... They were named Elder Adam and Elder Eve A.K.A Elder Idso and Elder Steven. It was so funny! They taught a really good lesson from it too!

Sister Draper is amazing! Heavenly Father has placed her and I together for a reason. I am so blessed to have her as my companion.

I hope that you all have a great week!!

Love, Sister Smart

One to make you cry: http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3019287996001

Us missionaries... A.K.A piglets! Haha!!!!

Sister Draper and I at the farm last week!

Sister Draper and I at the farm again.

Sister Draper, Sister Jenson, Sister Dimond and me... Star! Losers!!!!

Elder Trowbridge being Elder Trowbridge... He is an awesome District Leader!!

Elder Fa'aoso being Elder Fa'aoso... He's so Tongan!!!

Brighton District with Lambs plus Brother Hanscombe!

Hahahahaha.... One of the Lambs bit Elder Bodhaine! :|

Lewis taking Selfies of us and a lamb!

And again!

This is them all over!!

The Plan of Salvation... First attempt!

Sister Draper and I... Selfie in the loo at Zone Conference!

Me and my bestie... Elder Salas!!!!!!!

ELDER SALAS!!!!!!! Love that guy!

I caught this in a glass the other day!!!!! :|

Sister Drapers mug shot!!!!!

My mug shot!!!! Don't mess!!!!!!!!

It's Getting Hot In Here !!!

It must be all that hot air.

“
Well... Where do I start?!

As you know Sister Connery transferred to Downend last Wednesday and I got a new companion! Sister Draper is my new comp from Cotton Wood Heights near Sandy, Utah.

She is amazing!!!!! I knew her from my days in the Poole Zone and I was so flippin excited to be her companion. I love her so much!!!!!!!!!!

Satan know's that we're going to be awesome together so he is making our lives tough!!

He is especially attacking me with self disapproval... He's a crafty one! I heard someone the other day (I don't remember who) "One of Satan's greatest tools is confusion... He confuses us about all manner of things and quite often he confuses us about ourselves !". I am trying to better myself as a person and as a missionary. I am currently studying Christlike attributes. This week I am studying humility as I know it's something I really need to improve. Let's see how that works out!!

Sister Draper and I have set a goal to teach with love and this morning in personal study I read 1 John 4 which is all about love.

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

1 John 4:7-8.

The scriptures are amazing! I am determined to be a better Missionary and person.

I have unfortunately found myself getting distracted recently about worldly things... About post mission life! Not cool!! So if you would like to pray for specifics then please pray for me to stay focused and for Muneerah that all will go well with her baptism.

Her baptism was postponed last week as some of her friends couldn't make it... AKA Satan is preventing it from going ahead! Crafty creature! We now have a new date of Saturday, July 26th but it is proving to be a little difficult with the ward so we're praying that it will go ahead.

The weather... It is flippin roasting down here!!!! It's so humid as well. Thankfully we're by the sea so we get quite a breeze! I don't know if we're going crazy but we can't seem to turn our heating off :/ With Dad as an engineer and me having part of his brain you'd think that I'd be able to figure it out, but nope! I guess I'm a little thick!

Transfer day was crazy... I stayed in Crawley with Sister Dimond from Brighton and Sister Mott from the Visitors Centre who was sick :/ that meant that we were stuck in the chapel for 7 hours!!!! :/!!!!!!

There was about 10 Elders there too and they were very good at looking after us. It really was quite boring but we got to know a few more Missionaries which is cool!

It's Zone Conference this coming Thursday and I am so excited!!!!!!!!!! I will hardly know anyone but that's all good... I'll have to make new friends!!

Today we're going to the farm again and the castle but this time with the whole District. Fun fun!!

I love you all... Have a great week!!

Love, Sister Smart

Sister Draper and I... We had to send this to our Zone Leaders so they remember our names and who is where!

This is what the heat does to missionaries!!! Poor Elder Fa'aoso!!

Muneerah, me and Sister Connery at the London Temple Visitors Centre.

One of the most awkward looking photos ever!!!!! This is Elder Green and I... He thinks he may know Josh Bateman but he's not sure! Small Mormon world!!!

We saw this and HAD to take a photo... I'm sending two because in one I'm looking at the camera and in the other I'm not. In the one where I'm looking away I'm surprised I don't have a look of discuss on face as someone was shouting out of their car window "ooo, sexy!!" :/ awkward!!!!!!!

Transfers Again !!!

But she aint going nowhere...

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HELLO!!!!!!!!

Well this week is transfers!!!!! I am staying!!!!! It's about flipping time I stayed settles for a while! I have been tossed about recently! Sister Connery is moving on though sadly. She is moving to Down End in Bristol. It's about time that she went out west as she has been over in the east her whole mission. We both presume she will die there as she only has two transfers left.

My new comp is Sister Draper!!!!!!! I love Sister Draper!! We were in Poole zone together. She is great and I am excited!

Elder Cluff (our District Leader) is moving to Staines to be a Zone Leader so Elder Trowbridge has been made DL... I'm excited for him!!! He will be awesome!!

Sister Walmsley from Brighton is moving too, so this transfer we'll have two new Sisters, one new Elder and a new senior couple!
Lots of changes in the Brighton District!!!

Muneerah, our investigator is being Baptised this Friday at the Brighton Chapel... I am so excited for her!! She has asked the Missionaries to do a musical item... We practiced earlier today and I think we sounded like dying cats!!!!

The ling below is what it is suppose to sound like but I know it will not sound anything like this! I just hope Sister Draper knows this song 'cause I was deffo following Sister Connery's lead!!! :O

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

As you know I lost my camera a couple weeks ago :( sad times!! I bought a new camera and went crazy with it last P'day at the farm... Photos to follow!! We had a great day and we are looking forward to going back again as the two pigs have just had about 30 piglets :) I hope Sister Draper likes the idea!! We're having a ward BBQ there in a couple weeks so I guess she hasn't get much choice!

There was a fireside at the Temple the Friday just gone and we took Brayah... She really enjoyed it! It's such a great place to be... A special spirit!
Tomorrow we are heading to the Temple again but this time with Muneerah. She wants to buy her own baptismal dress so we're going to the distribution centre as well as the visitors centre. I love the Temple so I'm excited to go.

I'm just about to sign off so I'll end so I can sent some of my many photos!!

Have a great week and remember who you are!
Do you know who you are?
If not, find out!

Love, Sister Smart

Crazy Tongan (Elder Fa'aoso) at lunch last Pday!

Crazy Redneck (Elder Trowbridge) on our way to the farm last Pday!

Elder Fa'aoso and I.

Elder Trowbridge and Elder Fa'aoso! We had a race... The Elders won :(

Billy!!!!!

Elder Trowbridge eating with the lambs!

Me and a lamb!

Elder Fa'aoso and a lamb! :/

Pevensey Castle... By the farm... Me, Sister Connery, Elder Trowbridge and Elder Fa'aoso.

Sister Connery and I

The flowers Elder Fa'aose gave me :/ Haha!!

ABEL!!!!!!!!!

Bright District!

Sister Connery and I!

Trust Him !!!

You'd better do as she says folks.

“
Good morning!!

Well... This week has been a week of stress.

Our presentation went well at Zone Conference though which is great!! Trying to juggle yours thoughts is hard though.
It was really weird being at a Zone Training where I hardly know anyone though! I suspect I will be in this Zone for a while though so I best get used to it!

One thing I'd like to tell you about this week is trusting in the Lord. It's easier said than done I can tell you that! I found the best way for me is trust Him is:
1) Decide to trust Him... Fully.
2) Do all that I can to keep my covenants.
3) Utilise the Atonement of Christ.
4) Ask Heavenly Father for help.
These are four ways I have found that help me. I believe that all of these can help everyone... Everyone is different and that's how Heavenly Father made us, but Heavenly Father is the same. I'm not going to expand as I don't have time but I challenge you to trust Him.

Watch this clip:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages/topics/faith?v=911129095001

Also, my testimony of the Priesthood has really grown while I am been on my mission and it is exciting to me.
As I have come to understand more about the Priesthood, how essential it is and how it works. I haven't got time to delve in but I suggest you study it, use it and be worthy to use it.

I love being a missionary and I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I didn't watch the show on Channel 4 the other night but I have heard a little about it. I don't think it is entirely accurate. I suggest you watch "Two Brothers: The 5000 Day Project"... It's a documentary by a non LDS guy following his two nephews as one of them serves as a full time missionary and his brother is it home attending BYU (I think).
It's been a while since I watched it and I'd love to watch it again but that can wait another 9 months.
From what I can remember, it gives a pretty good picture of missionaries. Let me know what you think.

The church is true!

Have a great week!!!!

I love you all xxx

Lambing Season !!!

She's a sucker for them Lambs.

“ Hello!!!!

So I only have a short amount of time today as we're going for lunch with a member then we're heading to one of the members farms to play with the lambs!! :)

Last P'day was ACE!!!!! We had a BBQ on the beach with our Elders and the Bright Elders. The Brighton Sisters couldn't come as they had things to do! It was a fun day!!!! I lost my flipping camera : (not happy about that but not all is lost... I have about 90% of my photos saved else where! PHEWWWW!!!!)

I forgot to say... When I spoke at the Fireside a couple of weeks ago I met a guy named Cubby! OH MY HECK!!! He looks just like Danner!!!! the first thing I said to him was "Are you a Banks?" Turns out he isn't but he is American and is here studying for the summer. I told him he has a twin named Danner Banks who is married to my best friend Kelsi!! The poor guy must have thought I was crazy!!! :)

I can't believe that I will be half way through this Thursday.... CRAZY!!!! I can't believe that is transfer is almost over!!!!!! It has gone by so quick! Next week one of us could move! :/ I may email on Monday, Wednesday or not at all next week! I will write a letter if I move but I highly doubt that I will!! Sister Connery only has 2 transfers left so I think we'll stay together and I will kill her off.
She got the phone call the other day with the release date... October 8th... Her birthday!!!!! Crazy eh?

Did I tell you that Elder Fa'aoso was a rugby player!? He turned down two contracts with Australia to be a missionary! I just found out that one of those contracts was offering him 1 million just to sign!!!! :O crazy!!!
He will be so blessed for his sacrifice!

This past week I went on an exchange in Brighton with Sister Dimand... It was pretty cool and on the way back on the train we had a miracle... A guy approached us and asked us where he could find a Mormon Temple.
Turns out he watched the "Meet the Mormons" show the other day and is now really interested in learning about the Gospel!! Exciting!!
He lives in Kingston which isn't too far from the London Temple so we have referred him on to the Kingston Sisters :)

We have been working with a lady names Muneerah and she will be baptised on July 19th.
I am so happy for her!!!
Heavenly Father has been preparing her for a long time!

The church is true people!!!!

Arrrhhhhh I love being a missionary so much!

Watch this video!!! I think this woman is amazing!!!

http://www.mormon.org/elaine

Have a great week!!!!!!

I love you all!!

Love, Sister Smart

We found this the other day... A pet service?!?! What the heck!!

Doing some service with the Elders at Brayah and Miguel. We didn't have dust masks so we made some! :)

Sister Missionaries of Ninja?!?!

This is Keith... A recent convert that we're working with!

Brighton District!!

Elder Fa'aoso and I!

Last P'day on Eastbourne pier after the BBQ!

The pie we made for the Elders!

On the pier... This is when I lost my camera :(

Short & Sweet !!!

Just Like Sister Smart Herself.

“ Oioi!! Well... This has been a great week. The work here in Eastbourne is really going well.

This is going to be a short email as I don't have very much time.... We are playing volleyball in Brighton.

Sister Connery and I both spoke at a YSA fireside last night which was pretty cool... Nerve wracking though!

And tomorrow we will be presenting at Zone conference... We have been very busy preparing for that this week!

I don't think we have any crazy stories this week!!

I made my first apple pie for the Elders... They said it was good but I think they were being kind!!! It looked good but I reckon it had a soggy bottom. Does anyone have any tips?

I hope you all have a great week!!

Remember who you are!

Love, Sister Smart