Another dreaded phone call from President Millar !!!

Oh no its just cos' he cares.

“
Hello hello!! this week has been a good week! I love being a missionary!!

President called earlier this week and asked to speak with me specifically and I thought "Oh no!! Who has died or is unwell this time?!?!". I was very pleased to find out that it wasn't that kind of phone call. He was calling to see how Abe was doing as I mentioned that he had been unwell in my last email to him. PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love that man!! 300 Missionaries and he calls to see how my Nephew is!

Sister Hickman and I are doing well. I truly love her and being here in Bracknell! On the whole, we are getting support from the Members and that is great. It's nice when it feels like we're all wearing the same jersey. The Relief Society President is a great support in coming on teaches and she bears her testimony of it each week at the beginning of Relief Society which is amazing and it really is encouraging the other members. Sister Ellis is awesome!!!!!!

Virdi is progressing really well! It is amazing how prepared he is! I shouldn't be surprised as Heavenly Father is amazing. I am so happy to be a part of his journey. He is still planning to be baptised on October 8th... Lets just hope I don't get transferred! He attended the Reading Stake Road show with us on Saturday and he loved it... He chuckled away all night!!

Speaking of the Road show... The missionaries were enlisted to help with the props. It was fun and I successfully changed the moon to the sun on the backdrop without error! :) I had just finished chatting away to someone and was heading back to my seat when Zoe (I don't know her married name... But Pam Makinsons daughter) stopped me. I was so confused at first... Similar to how I was with Martin Cook! We had a nice chat, took a photo and hugged... I gave her an extra hug to pass to Mum and She is heading to Ashton next week! The world is so small!!!!! Turns out she moved to Oxford not that long ago!

Last week I didn't mention the Europe Area Sisters Meeting last week... I loved it!!!!!!! I loved the talk about tackling the hardest corner of the "bed" first. And I loved Elder Bednar's talk on prayer... Pray as a agent! Amazing people! I think everyone should watch it... Not just the women!!! Here's the link! https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/europe-area-sisters-meeting/2014/09?lang=eng

I am so glad to be here and to be a part of this great work! I do still thing about my eternal companion and family every now and then but I don't feel that it distracts me any more. It is simply a righteous desire. I wouldn't be anywhere else right now. I am where Heavenly Father wants/needs me to be.

Last night we took one of our investigators to a fireside in Reading on addiction... It was so interesting. I wish everyone had the opportunity to hear all that we heard. I am praying that it will benefit the investigator we took.

Today we are heading to Reading for a Pday with the Reading District and the Zone Leaders. We are going to a park... We're having a picnic and playing games :) I am excited!!!!

Last Friday Sister Hickman had a hospital appointment in Windsor so we planned our week around that... Only to be informed that there had been a mistake in booking the appointment. Useless private hospitals!! :) haha! We are heading there this Friday instead so that will be an adventure!!

I hope you all have a great week!

I love you!

Love, Sister Smart

Sister Hickman and I! - Smile

Sister Hickman and I! - Not so smiley

Me on a pretty day!

Elder Christensen keeps doing these stupid hand gestures. To help him stop I slap him on the hands each time he does it :) He's showing that his hands hurt :( haha!

Crowethorne District... Sister Hickman, Sister Smart, Elder Cooper and Elder Christensen

We found a trampoline and I lost my legs!!!!

Lost Email Last Week - Lost Connection This Week !!!

Whatever will she lose next???

“

This week I only have 30 minutes to email after reading everyone's email and emailing President Millar. We are emailing at the Hamilton's again as we went to Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) with them today. I didn't delete my email this time but I lost internet connection for ages. Not having much luck am I?! I may not have time to email photo's again but we'll see. I know Mum wants' to see my face so I will try to send at least one.

I loved Zone Conference this Tuesday!! As I said last week we were expecting some changes and we got them. President wants us to focus on our accountability to the Lord. We have pretty much stopped street teaching, so the way we account to the mission for our weeks effort has changed. It is an exciting change and I am excited to here in the ELSM!

Sister Hickman hasn't been very well this week and then neither was I. It has set us back a little which has been frustrating but we are excited about this coming week and what Heavenly Father has in stall for us. Sister Hickman really is amazing... I love her and I am so excited to be here in Bracknell with her, and we are very blessed to be in this companionship.

We have been so blessed with member support recently. We really feel loved by the ward.

Sister Hickman and I are praying that we will be able to stay together until she goes home (December 31st) but the way my transfers have been, we are doubting that will be the case. But that's okay as Heavenly Father knows what needs to happen.

Yesterday we only had one investigator at church and that was Jim... He has been investigating the church for about 18 months now. He is driving me crazy!!! He knows it's true but doesn't feel he is ready for baptism yet. Anyway the reason I'm telling you this... We have Sacrament meeting last and Jim only comes for that so we didn't have a Gospel Principles class. We joined the Gospel Doctrine class. We sat down and I then I scanned the room as I always do... Only to find Martin Cook sat behind me. Crazy!! We were both very shocked to see one another. It was good to see someone from home but kinda weird too... Home world and Mission world are two very different things and mixing the two is weird. Sister Hickman took a photograph of him and I on his phone as he said he was going to send it home! Crazy! He is down here on church business though, so he is probably very busy.

Virdi... He is amazing!!! I feel so blessed to be working with him. He is so prepared!!! We currently have him scheduled for baptism on October 18th but we feel that we may be able to bring it forward a little. He is progressing so well and comprehends the gospel so well. Heavenly Father has prepared him and He is by his side right now and he feels it. AMAZING!! We are having a family home evening today at the Hamilton's and he is coming along :D!!!!

Very quickly running out of time!!!

People keep asking me how long I have been out and I can't remember any more... I think that's probably a good thing! I do know that October 31st is my year mark and it is only around the corner... SCARY!!!

Today was an awesome day!!! As I mentioned we went to Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) with the Hamilton's... It was lovely! They brought a picnic and it was so nice spending the day with them. They are so good to us.

Remember who you are!!!!!

3 Nephi 2:1... Never forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you!!!!

Love, Sister Smart

Look Who turned up in My Sunday School Class

Me at Highclere Castle

Another of Me at Highclere Castle

Yet another and there's only one way down!!

Sister Hickman & I with the Hamilton's at Highclere Castle

Is It Gone? Oh No Its Here !!!

When She said she had lost her email I thought there was no email at all, but she was just showing us how much she had lost...

“
Well… I have just deleted my entire email which was about this long


































No over exaggeration…

I literally just cried for 5 minutes trying to get it back and no joy.

To put it short.

I don't think anyone really understood my question about chastening and rebuking… I have ready Elder Christtofersen's talk and I know how and why Heavenly Father does chasten and rebuke us. And I now haven't got time to explain what I really mean.

Vinayak's baptism did not go through last Saturday. His situation has changed slightly so he has asked if he could wait and be baptised in India.

Verdi is amazing… We have been teaching him for about two weeks and he has been reading the Book of Mormon for that time… He is up to Alma 36ish.

We went to the London Temple Visitors Centre yesterday for a fireside and it was amazing. He loved it. When we first sat down he turned to me and said, "The atmosphere in here is amazing!".

We went to Windsor today with all of the Sisters from the Zone. It was fun. We practiced our musical item for tomorrow… Haha! Crazy missionaries singing in Windsor. The Hamilton's drove us… An amazing family in the ward. They're spoiling us!

We have Zone Training tomorrow so that should be fun… I am excited!!! We're singing though! :/ We have some new things happening in the mission so that should be exciting to learn about tomorrow!

We have a new couple in the ward called the Barkers… They're amazing! They love missionary work! He is from York so it's cool to hear a fellow northerner. I thought I had lost my accent but he assures me I haven't.

The Elders got separated this week for about 5 minutes… Elder Christensen called us in a flap…. So so so funny!! Poor guy. 5 minutes being alone as a missionary is awful!

I have had an amazing week!!!!!!! Until 10 minutes ago when I deleted my email…. GUTTED!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you all have an amazing week too!

I love you!

Never forget who you are…

Love, Sister Smart

P.S. Deffo no time to send photos now!!!! Hopefully next week!

A Mission Just Seems To Be One Long P'Day !!!

I'm Sure I'll Be Offending Someone With That Title

“
This week has been great! Sister Hickman is amazing! She is from Blackfoot, Idaho and she has been out for 14 months. She is a great missionary and I am very excited to be her companion! We are determined together to be the best that we can be.

Bracknell is great... I already feel at home! This move (as always) was inspired and I am so excited to be here. Sister Hickman and I are getting along really well. We laugh a lot!! We already have great unity and I just love her. We currently have four baptismal dates and I am so excited to be working with these people on their journey to come unto Christ.

We are having a baptism this coming Saturday... His name is Vinayak and he is from India. He has been here for 2 months for his son's wedding and he goes home soon after his baptism. I am so excited for him! His English isn't great so we teach him with a translator (Elder Botcha from the London Mission). Elder Botcha's brother is serving his mission in India and he have just been transferred to Vinayak's home town... How crazy is that!?!??!?! Heavenly Father sure is hard at work!
We have members from the Reading Ward and the Oxford Ward helping out at the baptism who speak Hindi. Everything is working out just great.

We went to the Temple and Visitors Centre with him on Saturday and he loved it. The spirit was strong and we watched "Finding Faith in Christ", in Hindi... It was just what he needed!!

I saw Bishop Smith from Eastbourne at the Temple too. He is security there and he expressed how disappointed he was that I was transferred. It's nice to be loved!

We have Elders in our Ward... Elder Christenson and Elder Cooper. Elder Cooper is our District Leader and he moved into the area when I did. He seems pretty cool. Our District is just our two companionship's so that will be interesting as I have just come from a District of 5 companionships. Elder Christenson has just been out 4 1/2 months and he is crazy!!! He is 18 and he is from Utah. I'm sure we are going to laugh alot!!!!!! Probably at him!

Unfortunately Sister Hickman and I seem to have a little stomach bug thing going on! Not cool but we're hoping it will run it's course quickly. It hasn't stopped us thus far and we don't think it will. We have great plans for this week so it can't stop us!!! :)

Wednesday (Transfers) was cool... Clive our Ward Mission Leader from Eastbourne drove us to Crawley with the Elders where we met Sister Anderson and Sister Hickman. Sister Hickman and I got a train to Bracknell and Clive took the Eastbourne missionaries to the Temple for the day. Lucky them!!!! It's all good though as Sister Hickman and I had a chilled day once we got home! Some very kind members here picked us up from Bracknell train station and took us home which as very kind as my bags are getting heavier and heavier each move!

Apparently Reading Zone is a great place for P-days...
Next week 08/09 we are going to Windsor Castle with all of the Sisters (4 companionships) in the Zone (even though it's in the Staines Zone).
The week after 15/09 we are going to Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed with the Elders.
Then the week after that 22/09 we are having a joint P-day with the Zone Leaders.
The week after 29/09 we're heading to Oxford with the Elders and meeting up with the Missionaries there for the day.
Then the following week it is transfers 08/10.
This transfer really is going to fly by!!!!!!!

Recently I have been thinking and studying a lot about Heavenly Father chastening and rebuking us. Trying to decipher when we are being chastened & rebuked and when we are being brought down by Satan. I have asked multiple Priesthood leaders to help me understand but none of them have really been able to give me a "good enough" answer. Finally I am getting somewhere!!!! It's not just a question of Heavenly Father or Satan... Heavenly Father chastens and rebukes us because he loves us. Then we have the natural man as a result of the fall "Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing;" and then we have Satan "suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after those wicked harlots." Alma 39:11. I think the ";" is key in this Scripture! Please let me know if I am wrong and if you have any other thoughts!!!!

Remember who you are!!!!

Love, Sister Smart

Just one of Sister Hickman and I!

Something In The Air !!!

Oh its ok, its just an airshow...

“
Well... My apologies for not emailing last week!!!! We went to a farm with a member to visit her horse and we managed to get a puncture on the way and ended up stranded there for a good couple of hours!

Pday should end at 6pm but we didn't get home until 7.15pm :/ not cool!

On Saturday President Millar called to speak with me about my email from that week. He also said "well, moves are coming up and you'll find out on Monday that you, Sister Smart will be moving to Bracknell with Sister Hickman and Sister Anderson who is currently there will be moving to Eastbourne". I wasn't at all surprised to be honest... My two transfer stay really is a pattern. As of Wednesday I will be on my 4th Zone, 5th Area, and 6th Companion... Apparently it's because I'm a "go in and get it done" Missionary but I think it's just because Heavenly Father knows me. Keeping it fresh is good for me! Bracknell is just west of London and is apparently in the "Stockbrokers Belt"... Rich people who commute to London for work. Very different from Eastbourne!!

Yesterday was a really nice day... Everyone in Eastbourne was sad to see me go and they gave me a really nice send off. I love it here and I will miss it but it's my time to move on. President and Sister Millar came to our ward unexpected so it was really nice to have them there. The London Temple President and Matron spoke and they were awesome!!!! We had dinner with the Rollinsons as a fairwell and it was lovely... I love them.

On Friday we held a Cottage Evening at a members home that Harold (one of our investigators) attended. It was awesome and he really enjoyed it. We watched a short film called "Only a Stonecutter"... I have seen it before but I had never realised how amazing it is. Probably because I am in a different place spiritually than I was then. The story is about John Rowe Moyle, a Stonecutter. It starts with his son speaking who says "This world consists of two sorts of people, those who are acted upon and those who act." and that really made me think. I like to think that I am someone who acts but am I really?

3 Nephi 27:21 says "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;".

We all know what we should be doing but are we doing it? If you don't know what you're suppose to be doing then you should figure it out!

This is a link to the "Only a Stonecutter" video: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-07-140-only-a-stonecutter?lang=eng

Dan is awesome!!! He is so prepared to hear the Gospel... He will be Baptised on Saturday September 20th. I am sad to be leaving him but I know he is in good hands here!

Jackie is a less active member that we have been working with for a long time. She suffers from BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and she has been struggling recently so we went to visit her in hospital today. I am really sad to be leaving her as she is amazing and I have become really close to her. She loves having Sisters here so I'm just glad that the area is staying open... We were afraid that it would be closed as so many Sisters are going home so they need to close (I think) 6 Sisters area's.

A couple of weeks back we had Airbourne (Airshow) here in Eastbourne and it was awesome! We got to see bits of it as our flat is so close... I will make sure that I come back to visit Eastbourne next year when it's on again and see it for real. I have so many photos to send but I have ran out of time so I will have to send a load next week!

I am excited for this next transfer... I am ready to work my backside off trying to be the best I can be.

Here's to hard work!!!!!!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Sister Smart

I Am The Captain of My Soul !!!

I am the Master of my fate...

“
Well... I can't believe that it is Monday again already!!! Time really is flying by!

Last Pday we spent with the District plus the Zone Leaders. We met half way in a town called Newhaven and played football, ultimate frizzbee and a little rugby. It was a fun day. I have some really cool video's from the car journey home. Jordan (YSA) drove us... He 'beat boxed' while Elder Trowbridge rapped in a very 'country red neck' kind of way. It was so funny! The files are too big to send home though! Funny times!

We are currently working with a family who have been less active for over 10 years and I just love them!!!!! We Visit them each week normally we have dinner then have a solid gospel discussion. I am so excited to see them back at church... I know that they will!!! I am afraid of transfers as I think I may leave the area... My pattern of only staying in an area for max two transfers is worrying me!

Crazy... We got a photo call a last week sometime from one of the Office Elders who was asking us about our Plan of Salvation chalk drawing as he was writing an article to go in the Harvester... The Harvester is a news letter that we receive every month from the mission office. It includes snippets of training, cool stories from the mission, historical events and what not. We got ours this week but I forgot to take a photo of our article. It has our photo in too... Kinda embarrassing but cool!

On Wednesday we went on exchange... Sister Jensen (Sister Training Leader) came to my area. We had a blast. It was a well needed exchange!!!!! It was suppose to be a 24 hour exchange which most exchanges are but because of travelling time it would have been cut really short so we decided to extend to 48 hours. It was awesome! I love Sister Draper... Don't get me wrong but when you are with someone 24/7 it is nice to go on exchange. It started to feel like Sister Jensen was my new comp though which is a bit weird. Sister Jensen is awesome and I am so sad that she is going home this transfer.

Last Tuesday I went to go see Brother Pye (Osteopath). Oh my heck... The man is a genius! My back and shoulders are so much better than they were. My hip is better too but it's still giving me some jip... I am seeing him again tomorrow so we'll see what else he can do for me. I think I should have visited an Osteopath a long time ago about my back and shoulders!!

Being a missionary is flipping hard work and I love it.

My mid-mission crisis isn't quite over but it is for sure on the way to being.

Recently I have realised that most of the time it all comes down to love... Love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, love for others and love for yourself. Please read 1st John 4.

In President Millar's email this week he shared a quote with us... "I am the Captain of my soul, I am the Master of my fate." It's going to be my motto for the week... Maybe even for life!

I hope you all have a great week!

I love you,

Sister Smart

Brighton District + Zone Leaders

This is for Chris... I saw these and thought of him so I had to buy them!

We decided we needed to buy new tooth brushes!

Got to love an Elder Reed photo bomb!!

Love the Deans!!!!!

Sister Draper and I... I love her!

A happy Elder Fa'aoso!!

And a red neck Elder Trowbridge!

Sister Draper and I!!!!!! Hahahahhahahaha!!!!

This was in our bathroom!!!! :/ I caught it and threw it out of the window!

After the 48 hour exchange! Sister Dimond, Sister Jensen, Sister Draper and I.

Sister Jensen is awesome... So sad that she goes home at the end of this transfer! I look so tired because we pillow talked for ages!! :/ Oops! And we had just done a couple hours of hard labour service!

My camera was stolen for a while the other day!

Injury of the week!! It really hurt... And it still does actually!!

I know I look mingin but I wanted to show you these boots!! Helen (a Recent Convert) A.K.A one of my favourite people gave me these cow boy boots the other day! :)

Sister Draper hit her year mark the other day! Crazy!!

Must Be Better, She's Doing Handstands !!!

Well, trying at least...

“
So this week has been crazy and I only have a short time to write this email so wish me luck!!

Sister Draper and I had a super chill Pday which was really nice!!! We did some shopping at Iceland and we were dreading carrying it home!!! At the till the lady asked "Do you want this to be delivered today for free?" I nearly cried with joy!!! They just pack it for you and then you choose a 2 hour slot and Bobs your Uncle!! Very happy Sister missionaries!!!!

Every night when we plan we write in our planners a (FOTD) funny of the day, a (MOTD) miracle of the day and (ADMICOMP) something we admire about of companion... One day this week we realised we hadn't had a FOTD so we decided to do some handstands!! I'm quite impressed at how good I am at them! We felt like children again! Sister Draper nearly knocked me out with her feet when she fell... Close call!!!

Our Ward Mission Leader (Clive Glenister... You can add him of FB if you like and he'll give you updates!) needed us to do some service as his wife is away... The raspberry bushes needed picking!! So we picked away then he gave us the raspberries as he didn't want them. Not bad ey?!

One lunch time I decided to make a quotes jar... I wrote it out as nice as I could and decorated the paper then stuck it to the lid of the jar. Sister Draper said "Hmm... I didn't think that you spelled quotes like that... But I might be wrong"... Turns out I wrote "Quoates" by mistake!!!!!!! One very sad Sister Smart... I cried! Partially with laughter! That was our FOTD!!!!

Sad news... The Eastbourne Pier partially burned down this week!! I'm glad that we had a trip to it before as it is now closed and we suspect it will be for a while. It was all very dramatic!!! So many road closed for almost two days!

My back, shoulders and hip have been disagreeing with missionary life style for a while now so President has given me permission to visit with Brother Michael Pye from our Ward who is a Osteopath... I am seeing him tomorrow so I'm hoping he will fix me!!! He has a "I'm a Mormon" profile and it has the Pier on it too so I'll give you the link!... Oh and The Seven Sisters! http://www.mormon.org.uk/michael

District Meeting was on Friday this past week as we had interviews with President Millar too! I love that man... The interview was well needed and I have improved a lot since then!!! Sister Draper and I were asked to do a workshop at District Meeting which was cool... Not the best "presentation" I have given on my Mission but it was okay I suppose! I learned a lot at least and I think that most of the time we are given assignments to learn!

On Saturday it was Gay Pride in Brighton and President didn't want to Brighton Missionaries to be in the middle of all the partying so he told them to either stay in doors or find somewhere else to go. I called President and asked if they were allowed to come and help us with another Plan of Salvation chalk drawing and he said yes so the Bright Elders and our Elders came to help. It was awesome!!!!! I wish we could do it more regularly!!!

Today we are meeting the Brighton Missionaries half way in Newhaven to play Frisbee and Rugby! All fun fun fun!! Turns out I have longer to email than I thought as we're getting lift from a YSA to Newhaven! :)

I am for sure doing a lot better than I was but I'm not yet the Sister Smart that I was a couple weeks back! President said on the phone yesterday "Well... That's good! We'll take all we can get!" I am so grateful to him... I am so blessed to have the Millar's as my Mission President and wife!!

I love you all!

Have a wonderful week and watch this awesome video!!!!!!!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3701964025001&cid=HPTH073114368

Love Sister Smart

I made a quiche last Pday... We pretty much had it every day for lunch last week with salad. It was surprisingly good!

The pier on fire :( Sad times!

We played on an outside gym this week... We're losers I know!

The handstands!

We couldn't get our timings quite right for a while!

Sister Draper... Possessed!

Raspberry picking!!

Service for Helen!! Your Papa's girl!!

A true dyslexic!! :( not happy!!!!!!!

Oh my heck!!!!!! We met this dog!!!!!!

Chalk drawing as a district!