SISTER SMART ON A MISSION: February 2015

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!!!

Oh What A Beautiful Day...

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So... Another week has gone and I can't believe it!!! Time flies by so quickly!!!!!!!!!! Sister E and I feel like we have been together for only 5 minutes!! She really is amazing... We get on so well and we work together like we have been together forever!! I am going to miss her a lot when she goes.

We have been told that Sister Longine will be moving into the Mission on Wednesday so we haven't got long left together. It's been such a blessing to serve with her. And it's been a blessing to get to know the area with her before Sister Longine arrives. Now I'm only training and half white washing instead of training and fully white washing :)!!

When we arrived we didn't have any investigators so we have been trying to find new people to teach! We found a few people but we still need more!

We street contacted a guy in the week named Jake and we made a return appointment with him for Sunday evening. We weren't sure if we would be traveling at that time to get Sister Longine so we told him we would confirm. We found out that we would be traveling on Wednesday so we called to confirm with Jake. He had given us a false number!!!! We knew roughly where he lived as he pointed to his home when we contacted him but we unfortunately didn't get his address! I could have kicked myself for not getting his address!!!! We decided to knock his street around the time of the appointment.

It was pooring down with rain!!! We had a Gospel discussion with a JW and a couple other brief Gospel discussions. We also got a couple doors slammed in our faces as usual. We didn't find Jake!! We were about to give up but decided to knock a couple more doors. We still didn't find Jake but we came into contact with a lovely Scottish chap named James who has committed to come to Church with us next week. He was our miracle for the day!!

On Saturday we found ourselves in a part of Hastings that was a little dodgy!! I have felt a little scared now and then on my Mission but Saturday was way worse!! We won't be heading back there in the dark... The joys of white washing!!! We found a guy there though who said he'll come to Church next week so we'll see!! :) We walked very quickly to the bus stop that's for sure!!!!!!

The entire time we have been in Hasting has just been full of tender mercies... We run a lot for buses and we haven't yet missed one! Everything just seems to happen at the right time! Heavenly Father is looking out for us! I love being a Missionary!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess what?!?!?! I am actually sleeping again!!! I am back to waking up just before the alarm goes off because my body has had enough! It doesn't feel like my body has had enough once it gets to 21.30 but that's okay!!! :)

I don't think I mentioned that President Millar sang to us at MLC last week!! He just stood up mid meeting and sang "Oh what a beautiful morning"... He sang then asked us to join in on the "oh what a beautiful morning" bit! It made me cry!!! Hahahaha!!! I love that man so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we are having our P-Day with Sister Evans... An amazing member!! We're heading there after emails to have lunch and to chill out! :) I love Hastings!!!! The members here really are amazing! We are being looked after very very very well!!!

I love you all!!!

I hope that you have a great week!!! I will be praying for you!!!!!

Love, Sister Smart

#sharegoodness

We found these matching onseys in our flat!!!! Hahahahaha!!!!

We got a little wet yesterday!!!!!

A New Area!!!

And A New Start...

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So... It's been two weeks since I wrote last! It feels like both a life time ago and just like yesterday!

It's been a crazy two weeks!! Two weeks back we were closing down the Chichester flat and preparing Sister Hopgood to go home. It was sad to close down the area but I guess I am needed elsewhere.

I went to the Temple on Monday to drop Sister Hopgood off with the other returning home Missionaries... five of my companions went home this transfer! Crazy! It was so weird saying goodbye to them all. On arrival I became Sister Engelbrektsson's companion! She is amazing!! She is from Sweeden and just the sweetest person you will ever meet! On Tuesday I was able to go to the Temple with Judith... Somebody I worked with in Torquay. It was amazing!! I love Judith so much!!! It was the same session as the returning home Missionaries so that was a bit weird but so cool as I got to say goodbye to five of my companions and a bunch of other Missionaries that I know. Then I got to see Elder Barren as he was at the Temple with his parents. He went home a while ago but we were in the same district for a while at the beginning of my mission. Also, we're birthday buddies! :)

On Wednesday we headed to Staines where I received some training on how to be a trainer! It was really nice to see other Missionaries that I know and the training was also really interesting! My new companion Sister Longine is still in the Preston MTC so when president announced the new companionships I got to hug Sister Millar instead of my "baby" (new missionary)!! :) Sister E and I got to Hastings late on Wednesday so we just had some time to go through the Area Book to try and figure out who the Sisters had been working with and to make a good plan for Thursday!! We had a fun day on Thursday finding our way around our new area! White Washing is fun!! We haven't been lost yet :) Thursday evening the Office Elders called to inform us that we needed to travel that evening to East Grinstead as I needed to be in Staines for Missionary Leadership Council at 8.30am :) Sister E went back into the Visitors Centre for the day so that was fun for her!!

MLC was amazing!! We discussed the Europe Area Plan and I am so excited about that! If you don't know about it yet then look on http://lds.org.uk/... Take a hold of this and run as fast as you can!!!!!!

Saturday was another full day of meeting with the Ward Mission Leader, the Bishop, a few people the Sisters before us were working with and finding new people to teach! We found George!! Really cool student who has some really amazing beliefs! We are meeting with him today so we're really excited about that!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday was crazy busy!!! The Hastings ward really is amazing!! Full of loving people!! I am so excited to be here

We think that today will be Sister E's only P-Day here in Hastings so we are going to try and visit some historical sites!! :) that should be fun!!! I really am going to miss her when she has to go back to the V.C.!

I am so excited for this transfer!! We have so much going on!! Interviews with President Millar in a couple weeks... Then Zone training with Elder Dykes and then another MLC with Elder Dykes!! I am so blessed to be the STL as I get to go to all of these cool meetings!!!!

I love you all so much!!!!

Love, Sister Smart

#sharegoodness

I love them so much!!!!! Kate & Josie!!

My Gingerbread Missionaries!

I saw my car the other day!!!!! It made me miss it so much!! Hahaha... Saddo!

Sister Engelbrektsson and I!

Another Crazy Week !!!

With A Birthday To Boot...

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Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!!!!!!!!

So.... This week has been a crazy week!!!

Monday was a typical P'Day!! We went for lunch with the Elders and Josie then we went bowling. It was lots of fun! I just love Josie!!!

So on Tuesday it was Anne's birthday so Sister Hopgood and I went for lunch and I made enchiladas. It was really nice celebrating her birthday with her. She returned the favour by taking us for dinner the following day for my birthday. We were suppose to go to Nando's but there wasn't any parking spaces so we got McD's instead and ate it at the Chapel.

Sister Hopgood managed to loose her 79 quid bus pass this week but she only realized when we were on our way to an appointment. We were so gutted! After the appointment we went back to the flat and searched for it but couldn't find it! As we left the flat I prayed that we would find it. I felt like we should go to the bus station just in case it had been handed in. We checked and the lady at the desk said "You'll be lucky!!". Then she looked in the lost and found and she found it!!!!!! Prayers really are answered!!!

Wednesday was a great day... I was spoiled rotten for my birthday! I received 3 amazing packages, Sister Hopgood made me breakfast, we went to lunch at the McCoys... Sister McCoy made all different Mexican food. She knows me so well! Then we went to dinner with Anne as mentioned earlier. I loved it but I really need to make sure that my next birthday is at home. 3 birthdays away from home is enough!

Thursday was a bad day!!!! I think I pretty much had a mental break down... I started to cry as soon as I saw Sister McCoy (My Mission Mum) then I cried the whole way through District Meeting I felt really bad 'cause I could tell that everyone felt really bad for me but I really couldn't control it. They just kept flowing!! I spoke with President as I felt like my head was going to explode and I needed to stay in the flat for a little while to nap.

On Friday we had a visitor in our flat... In fact we had two. President and Sister Millar. They spent about two hours with us. I just love them so much!!

So we found out the other day about moves. Sister Hopgood is going home and I am moving to Hastings and my new companion is a new missionary from France. She is coming into the mission about two weeks late as she is learning English so I will have a temporary companion for two weeks. As Sister Hopgood is going home her and I will be heading to the Temple together on Monday so I may not have time to email next week! I will be staying with the Temple Visitors Centre until Wednesday when I will go to Staines to receive some training on how to be train a new missionary. I will then go to my new area with my temp companion. AND!!!! I am going to the Temple on Tuesday with Judith who I worked with when I was in Torquay.

Simply... I love being a Missionary but it really is the hardest thing I have ever done!

I am really excited to be a trainer but I am terrified!

I hope that you all have a lovely week!

Love, Sister Smart

#sharegoodness