Dear Family,
Well it’s been another wonderful week on my mission! It went by very fast and this next month I can tell will just fly by. We have so many different things planned; it will be very interesting to see how it all goes. Well, today as I was thinking about the things I would talk about today I decided maybe I would just explain the things that I am thankful for.
Yesterday at church I was looking out over the balcony waiting for some of my investigators to come to church when the first counselor came to me and asked if I would give a talk. Well missionaries can’t exactly say no, at times like that so in the few minutes I had to prepare I began to think about what I should say. It wasn’t but five
minutes later that the first counselor returns and says oh, we need you to bless the sacrament as well. So far still none of my investigators had come to church. On the verge of being discouraged I sat down at the sacrament table as the meeting begins. During the announcements I checked underneath the cloth to make sure everything
was prepared when I saw that whoever prepared the sacrament just placed the bread on the table with no tray. Well needless to say my patience was nearly exhausted. I left the Sacrament hall to find some trays and after a bit of searching I finally found them and returned to the meeting with the sacrament trays in my hand. And again, as usual, as I began to break the bread, my stress, and impatience were all replaced with peace and joy. After the Sacrament I gave my talk about being thankful, and how we really show that gratitude. As I sat down many of my investigators had just managed to sneak their way in. As that happened I realized my problem in the morning was my lack of gratitude and the Sacrament helped me to remember the things that matter most and especially to be grateful for the things I love. Since coming on my mission my gratitude has been magnified 1000 fold for things spiritual in nature and also physical. I’m grateful for the days when I don’t have power outages. I am grateful for running water, too many times showering with only thirty 500mL sachets of water make me appreciate it even more. I am grateful for the rain, especially when it feels like 110 degrees. I am grateful for AC, washing machines, oh and stoves that are not propane gas. I am grateful for trees that change colors. I am grateful for the ceiling fans in our apartment. I am grateful for q-tips, I hate having dirty ears. ;) I am grateful for flip-flops. I am grateful for the Puritans influence on American culture. I am grateful for people who smile. I love just walking down the road and seeing random people smiling as they are walking. It is much like sunshine. I am grateful for electric razors that can cut my hair. I am grateful for the fact I can walk outside my apartment for less than two minutes and find decent food. I am grateful for fufu and banku. I am grateful for tomatoes and onion, possibly the best combination of food. But more than all of that, I am grateful for my family. I love and miss them so much. I am grateful that I was raised in the Gospel. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the restoration of the Gospel. I am grateful for temples and that through priesthood ordinances performed in them families can be together forever. Above all, I am grateful for Jesus Christ and His infinite sacrifice for mankind. I am grateful for His love for me, and mankind. Nothing compares with my gratitude for my Savior and King, Jesus Christ. And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. 1 Nephi 19:9
Well it’s been another wonderful week on my mission! It went by very fast and this next month I can tell will just fly by. We have so many different things planned; it will be very interesting to see how it all goes. Well, today as I was thinking about the things I would talk about today I decided maybe I would just explain the things that I am thankful for.
Yesterday at church I was looking out over the balcony waiting for some of my investigators to come to church when the first counselor came to me and asked if I would give a talk. Well missionaries can’t exactly say no, at times like that so in the few minutes I had to prepare I began to think about what I should say. It wasn’t but five
minutes later that the first counselor returns and says oh, we need you to bless the sacrament as well. So far still none of my investigators had come to church. On the verge of being discouraged I sat down at the sacrament table as the meeting begins. During the announcements I checked underneath the cloth to make sure everything
was prepared when I saw that whoever prepared the sacrament just placed the bread on the table with no tray. Well needless to say my patience was nearly exhausted. I left the Sacrament hall to find some trays and after a bit of searching I finally found them and returned to the meeting with the sacrament trays in my hand. And again, as usual, as I began to break the bread, my stress, and impatience were all replaced with peace and joy. After the Sacrament I gave my talk about being thankful, and how we really show that gratitude. As I sat down many of my investigators had just managed to sneak their way in. As that happened I realized my problem in the morning was my lack of gratitude and the Sacrament helped me to remember the things that matter most and especially to be grateful for the things I love. Since coming on my mission my gratitude has been magnified 1000 fold for things spiritual in nature and also physical. I’m grateful for the days when I don’t have power outages. I am grateful for running water, too many times showering with only thirty 500mL sachets of water make me appreciate it even more. I am grateful for the rain, especially when it feels like 110 degrees. I am grateful for AC, washing machines, oh and stoves that are not propane gas. I am grateful for trees that change colors. I am grateful for the ceiling fans in our apartment. I am grateful for q-tips, I hate having dirty ears. ;) I am grateful for flip-flops. I am grateful for the Puritans influence on American culture. I am grateful for people who smile. I love just walking down the road and seeing random people smiling as they are walking. It is much like sunshine. I am grateful for electric razors that can cut my hair. I am grateful for the fact I can walk outside my apartment for less than two minutes and find decent food. I am grateful for fufu and banku. I am grateful for tomatoes and onion, possibly the best combination of food. But more than all of that, I am grateful for my family. I love and miss them so much. I am grateful that I was raised in the Gospel. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the restoration of the Gospel. I am grateful for temples and that through priesthood ordinances performed in them families can be together forever. Above all, I am grateful for Jesus Christ and His infinite sacrifice for mankind. I am grateful for His love for me, and mankind. Nothing compares with my gratitude for my Savior and King, Jesus Christ. And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. 1 Nephi 19:9
Love,
Elder Smith
Elder Smith
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