Week 51 ~ July 11, 2016 ~ Still Homeless

We I've officially been in San Luis three weeks and we are still living with the Hermanas from Jardin. We had a maybe option for an apartment but yesterday they told us that they don't want to rent anymore. Luckily all 4 of us have good attitudes and every day we get a little more settled in. We will probably have just gotten comfortable by the time we find a house. But we have a lot of fun. 

This week we had one investigator come to church. His name is Moises and he has a lot of desire, but also a lot of problems. He lives with his girlfriend and he smokes. But we're working on the smoking and he said he would talk to his girlfriend about getting married. Right now he has a baptismal date set for the 30th of this month, but I doubt he'll be married by then. But I know that crazier things have happened.  

I know I should have more things but this is seriously all I can remember.... The days pass so fast but at the same time I feel like the last week was 4 months long. Jaja.

Pray for us. 

Love,

Hermana Schmidt

Week 50 ~ July 4, 2016 ~ Pants: Week 1

From here on out I will be counting the weeks based on when we started using pants. Because it's weird. But I also kind of love it. 

This week was pretty much the same as last week expect we got lost a little less and so we talk a little more. We still basically don't have any investigators but at least we can find people when they tell us we can visit them. 

We did receive a huge blessing this week when we got a reference from a member from Utah. He reconnected with an old girlfriend and she went up to Utah to visit him. Her name is Monica. While she was there she went to temple square and the conference center (they were downtown when they preisthood session ended and it really made an impact on her because she has 2 sons). They also went to welfare square and the member talked to her about how the members of his ward have supported him and she really liked that. We had a great lesson with her and she accepted a baptismal date so we're really excited about that.

Well we're going to keep working hard and trusting in the Lord to guide us. (Even more so because we literally do not know the way) 

Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 49 ~ June 27, 2016 ~ Perdidas

Well I don't have a whole lot to tell you this week. We basically spent the whole last week somewhere between lost and people who don't remember that the missionaries visited them once six months ago. Haha. But every day is a little better than the day before. My companion is great and we just need to find an apartment so that we can have our own space and unpack our suitcases. But for now we'll just wait.

Here are some fotos. 

Love you! 

Hermana Schmidt

Week 48 ~ June 21, 2016 ~ Cambios!

Well I had one of the best weeks ever last week. We spent the whole week getting Irma ready for her baptism and Saturday night her son Alfonso baptized her and it was absolutely amazing. When she came out of the font she gave me a huge hug and then said "oh no. I got you all wet" (which was true) but I didn't even care and just kept hugging her. 

We also saw a lot of progress in our investigator José. He didn't drink the whole week and came to every activity, including the baptism. 

Saturday when we were waiting to start the baptism the zone leaders called me to tell me I was going to be training a new missionary! I was super excited and assumed it would be in my area in Aguas. (both because it's pretty rare that they transfer people when they're going to train and because it would mean sending two new missionaries to the area where I was) but they told me that I would be training and opening a new area. I felt a lot of things when they told me that. Excited, nervous and also really sad because I LOVE the ward where I was. But I knew one day I was going to have to leave. The good news is I knew ahead of time so I could take fotos. 

Sunday was a really bitter-sweet day. Irma was confirmed a member of the church and we had 4 investigators at church, 2 of which have baptismal dates. At the end of sacrament meeting the bishop announced over the pulpit that I was going to have transfers and asked me to come up and bear my testimony. When I got to the stand one of the counselors whispered to me "without crying please" I am pleased to report that I did not cry but it was close. 

Then after the services ended we were all outside and taking pictures and all three of the people who got baptized while I was there expressed their gratitude to me and that pretty much made me want to sob. And I realized how much I have love this area and how comfortable I have felt there. I really felt like it was my home and it was incredibly hard to leave. Even more so because I didn't know where I was going. 

Monday I went to pick up my new companion and found out that we would be going to San Luis Potosi. My companion is Hermana Machado and she is from Columbia. We are going to have a lot of challenges here in San Luis but I learned in my last transfer that God always takes good care of his missionaries. 

Pray for me to learn my way around quickly. Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

ps I forgot my camera but I will sent fotos next week.  

Week 47 ~ June 13, 2016 ~ Last week of my 8th transfer #hayquebautizar

Well when Presidente first told me I would be without a companion the whole transfer I felt like I would never end, and now it's the last week and I can't believe it.

The good news is that Irma is excited for her baptismal date and if everything goes according to plan she will be baptized Saturday night. I am also super excited because Alfonso received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday and he will be the one to baptize her. Unfortunately her other son made some poor choices (well really one) but the point is he won't be able to confirm her. We offered to postpone her baptism so that he could get everything worked out but she said no. So that's kind of sad but I'm happy for Irma and for Alfonso. 

We also met a new investigator this week named Cesar and he is really excited about the church. He is really humble and is so full of faith. I really think he should progress rapidly. José (I don't remember if I wrote about the drunk guy who contacted us in the street and then was actually lucid when we went to visit him) but he has really been working hard and is progressing towards a July 2nd baptismal date. And the wife of the Paredes' family came to church! That was really exciting. I wish it had been everyone but it was nice to see that she made the effort. 

Well keep praying for us. And that it will rain at night. (That may seem oddly specific but if it rains during the day we get wet but at night lowers the temperature for the whole day.) It's better when it rains at night. 

Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 46 ~ June 6, 2016 ~ Still Companionless

It is such an odd experience to be without a companion. (I obviously am never alone but I technically do not have an assigned companion right now) I've had various sister from the locally wards making visits with me for a few hours or even coming with me for a few days. It's been a lot of work to coordinate everything but I've felt really blessed and seen how God has blessed my life and the lives of everyone around me as we've made the best of a less than ideal situation. One really striking example was last Sunday when the sister who was going to go with me to my area for the day called us 2 minutes before sacrament meeting started to tell us she couldn't make it. At first I felt super stressed and was just praying and praying, asking God what I should do. And I really clearly felt "Don't worry. I know what's going on. I'll take care of it." And I just immediately felt calm and sat through the rest of the meeting without a worry. At the end of the meeting with asked one of the young single adults if she would be willing to go to my area with me for the day and she said yes. Later she told me that the day before she went to the temple and while she was there she was praying and asking for one more day as a missionary. It was so neat to see how God answered both of our prayers. 

Even with everything that has been going on Irma, the mother of our two recent converts Alfonso and Marco, has been coming to church and she says that she is going to be baptized on the 18th. I still feel that she's doing it more for her sons than because she believes it but I have no doubt that she will have a testimony by the 18th. Saturday we taught her the message of the restauration and it was a really powerful lesson. I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was her and her two sons who are members of the church. We shared the story and then one of her sons testified about Joseph Smith and the other about the book of Mormon. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who cried but it was still powerful. 

Well I hope all is well there in the US. They tell me it's getting hot there. Welcome to the hot. Supposedly it's going to start getting cooler here but I'll believe it when I feel it. The good news is we can use hats and sunglasses now. The bad news is there going to make us use pants. I'll keep you updated on that.

Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 45 ~ May 30, 2016 ~ Another Week in the Life

Hola familia,

I feel like the past week just flew by. I'm basically just trying to survive until transfers because even though we've found some people willing to help us they have lives too so we are running around trying to conform the plans to work that I have with their schedules. A young lady that is getting ready to go on a mission in august was with me a few days last week but I think she kind of got burnt out. She said she would be coming back today in the afternoon but today she sent me a text that she can't until Wednesday. Which left me with a lot of appointments and without a companion. We found someone for today but without someone who can live with me in the house here it's a LOT of work to be here in my area. But the Lord has been so merciful and we've still been able to teach and the mother of out two recent converts, Irma, came to church. I was expecting more investigators but hopefully this week. 

It's weird that even though I don't have a companion I still don't feel as lonely as I did those first few weeks with H. Yañez. I actually think that time with her really prepared me for all this that is happening now and I've been able to cope better because I was able to build trust with the Holy Ghost who is the only companion I've had my whole mission. 

This has been hard, juggling companions and managing an area alone, but I feel honored that my mission president and the Lord have trusted me with this and strengthened by their confidence in me. 

Pray for me to find sisters with the desire to be missionaries for a few days. And more people to teach.

Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt 

Week 44 ~ May 23, 2016 ~ One Crazy Week

Well this has official been the craziest week of my mission so far. Tuesday Hermana Pacheco went home. I literally cried in the bus station. I felt like I was losing the opportunity to have an angel as my companion. But it's better that she can go home and heal and then finish with less pain. Or continue with the mission that God will assign her at home. 

After that we went to pick up my new companion Hermana Lopez. We had a good few days together but Saturday she also went home for some problems with her ankle. So that left me without a companion. Presidente had told me that they would bring someone from another area, but at the last minute changed his mind and right now I'm with the sister training leaders and we're trying to work out a way to work in both of our areas. It has been super crazy. But we think we've found someone willing to go with me for a few days to my area and then after that... we'll work something out. Or maybe Presidente will have decided on a more long term solution. But I think he kind of wants to wait because in June 4 new sisters are coming to the mission and only one is leaving. So he doesn't want to close areas just to open them again in less than a month. 

Something super funny that happened two weeks ago is I went to the dermatologist so that she could look and a mole that I have and we walk in and she says to me "What brought you in today? Your face?" and me "No... :(" Jajaja. Even after she saw my mole she ended up writing me a prescription for something to help my face.  I was kind of upset at first but now I just think it's funny and it is helping. It's hot so I sweat a lot and that combined with a lot of sunscreen has not left my skin super beautiful and I guess I should be grateful that she was concerned. 

We have been working hard and the Lord is providing for the rest. Keep us in your prayers.

Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 43 ~ May 16, 2016 ~ The Happenings in Versalles

Well it has been quite the week here and it's going to be another. My new companion is amazing and I love her. She has the sweetest spirit a person could have a just radiates kindness. 

Saturday Alfonso was baptized and it was one of the most spiritual events I have ever participated in. He has changed so much and his testimony is so strong. His mom has come to church the last two weeks and came to the baptism. She's a little hesitant because she's been studying with the Jehovah Witnesses for many years but now that two of her sons are members of the church I think she's more interested in what we have to share with her.

Today Presidente Villareal and his wife invited us to have lunch with them at their house. My companion was in the ward before and they had promised her lunch at their house. That's why we got to the internet so late and I didn't have time to answer people well. Presidente also wanted to talk with my companion because she has some problems with her feet and legs and we called him last week because she doesn't feel like she can keep up with the rigors of missionary work. They talked and she's going home tomorrow. I'm pretty bummed because I love her, but she's really been suffering and it's probably better that she goes home. Presidente told me that my new companion is also having health troubles and so she's only going to be here until they can get her returned worked out and after this I'll have another companion. Crazy! 

Well I've already used more time than I should have. I'll try to be more responsible with my time next week and update you more.

 Love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 42 ~ May 9, 2016 ~ The 8th Transfer

Hello,

I finally have a few minutes to write about the past few weeks but we'll start with what happened in transfers. I'm going to be staying here in Versalles another transfer but I have a new companion. Her name is Hermana Pacheco and she's from... a part of Mexico that I do not know how to spell. But it's in southern Mexico. 

This Saturday were going to have a baptism and I am super excited that I'm still going to be here to see it. Our investigator Alfonso is going to be baptized by his brother Marco who is a recent convert.

We're still visiting Jose (the alcoholic who contacted us in the street) and he is progressing well but it's going to be an uphill battle to get him ready to be baptized. 

The Paredes family told us that they need time and that was a huge bummer. But I have no doubt that they will get baptized someday it just probably will be with other missionaries. 

Well... I feel like I should have more to tell you but I can't think of anything. Pray for us to find new people to teach.

I love you and Happy Mother's day to all.

Hermana Schmidt

Week 41 ~ May 2, 2106 ~

Week 40 ~ April 25, 2016 ~ Faria Round Two

Hola,

The fair keeps taking all of our investigators away. The Paredes family went to Jalisco for the week so we could visit them and they didn't come to church. But Alfonso came and he's excited to be baptized the 14th of May. And we also met a new investigator who already had a book of Mormon and says he already knows that the church is true from what he saw of the Mormons when he was in Utah. He has a huge drinking problem but so far hasn't had a drink since our first visit with him. I'll tell you the full story next week but so far it has the makings of a full-blown miracle.

Love you all! 

Hermana Schmidt

Week 39 ~ April 18, 2016 ~ La Feria Nacional de San Marcos

Well it is official the fair here in Aguascalientes. Every year in April they have a huge fair for "Saint Mark" here in Aguascalientes. It is supposedly one of the biggest fairs in Mexico. I was pretty worried about it because part of where they have the fair is in our area. But really it's just annoying. 4 investigators didn't come to church this week because they were too tired after spending all night at the fair. And it makes it kind of hard for my companion to sleep. Which makes her kind of grumpy which makes her kind of difficult to live with but I think we're all going to make it out alive. 

This week we had 5 investigators in sacrament meeting again, but a different 5 from last week. This week Alfonso (the brother of a recent convert, I think I've written about him before) came to church with his daughter Carol. Alfonso is planning on getting baptized May 14th and we are really excited about that. The Paredes' also came. They are a family of 4. The parents, Armando and Miriam with their two sons, Alan and Matius. The parents and Alan (who just barely turned 8) all want to be baptized but Armando and Miriam aren't married and Alan doesn't want to be baptized alone. So for right now they don't have baptismal dates but we're hoping that they'll be able to get married soon in order to be able to be baptized. 

Well keep praying for us. I can definitely feel your prayers as things have continued to improve with my companion and with the area where we are working. 

Thank you!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 38 ~ April 11, 2016 ~ Bendiciones

Hola Familia!

Well this week things finally started to get better. My companion and I spent a lot of time talking and finally shared some of the things that have made it hard with us to live with the other and now that we were more open things are changing and getting better.  We're still not the best of friends but there's no contention now so we have the spirit more which makes everything else better.

Well this week 5 investigators came to church which was awesome! Jessica (the girl who is dating a less active member) came with her boyfriend (maybe they've gotten married already as they should be having a child any day now) and a little 10 year old girl we've been teaching named Mayte. We just barely started teaching her family so she came alone. But we hope that in the coming weeks her parents will start to come with her brothers. We also had a grandma, mom and daughter come. They are named Marta, Claudia and Naomi. None of them have accepted baptismal dates yet but we hope they'll all accept this week.

Our four investigators that had baptismal dates, the Paredes family and another investigator named Alfonso, didn't come which was super frustrating. But we hope this week they'll start to progress again. 

Well pray for us. We are hoping to have 8 investigators in sacrament meeting this week. 

I love you all! 

Hermana Schmidt

Week 37 ~ April 4, 2016 ~ Conferencia

Hola familia!

This week was conference and I hope you all loved it as much as I did. We has 3 investigators who came to the conference and 2 of our 4 recent converts so we are really excited about that. For me two of the highlights were Donald Hallstrom, who talked about our divine potential and Elder Holland! Love him. 

Things are getting a lot better with my companion. And I've started to notice how much I'm learning about myself by having her as a companion. It is so interesting that it is our nature to want everything easy and smooth but we really only learn when things are difficult. 

Thank you for your prayers. I promise one week I'll write more.

Love you!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 36 ~ March 28, 2016 ~ Happy Easter?

Happy Easter (apparently) everyone! 

I honestly thought that Easter was going to be this coming Sunday but everyone is telling me happy Easter so... I guess I missed it. Easter here is a much bigger deal than it is there. They celebrate the whole week! I thought (They call is the holy week but it started Thursday. Which is why I thought it would be until the following sunday but whatever) and every gets drunk or leaves town. It is terrible.

But we'll keep working. 

The only big news is that another transfer ended here and my companion and I are going to be staying together in this area. I almost can't believe it because we don't work well together but I guess God wants us to learn. So learn we shall.

Pray for us! 

Hermana Schmidt

Week 35 ~ March 21, 2016 ~ Un Bautismo!

Well I spent all my time answering emails. (Whoops) So I'm only going to write about Saturday. It was one of the happiest, but also saddest days of my mission. In the morning my companion and I were very excitedly making plans for the baptism of Marí when we got a call from a ward member telling us that one of the sister that we visit regurally had passed away. I couldn't believe it. We had seen her less than a week ago and she was fine. And she is only about 50 years old. We passed by to see her family and her daughter was crying and asked me to say a prayer. I couldn't even do it I was crying so hard. She out of the blue got an infection that spread to her heart and she died only a few days after getting sick. Her youngest daughter just barely turned 16. 

But then that night Marí got baptized and it was such a sweet moment. She was so very happy and it gave us a lot of joy to see her take this step.

Well I love you all. Pray for us!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 34 ~ March 14, 2016 ~ Tender Mercies

Well, it was a hard week for me. Things will my companion haven't been as naturally easy as they were with my other companions and so it's been a struggle for us to get along. And I feel like not getting along with her has made me think a lot in my personal faults and how they contribute to the strain in our relationship.  The combination of the two got me really down and by Sunday morning I was pretty much wondering what in the world I was doing here. Then we were standing outside the church and I look to see a family that we've been teaching the past few week (Armando and Miriam with their sons Alan and Mateas) walking towards the church. Tears came to my eyes as I immediately remember exactly what I am doing here. 

And even better is that this week Marí is going to be baptized! We are super excited and so is she. She's sad that my last companion isn't here and that her mom passed away before she good see her baptism, but when we explained that after her baptism she can take her mom's name to the temple and be baptized for her she felt a lot better.

Well, sending lots of love from her. Pray for me so that I can be a better companion. 

Hermana Schmidt

Week 33 ~ March 7, 2016 ~ Sacrifice

Hola! 

I cannot believe that it's already March. It makes me feel a little bit better about the heat, although apparently April and May are the hottest months. This may just be the summer that I finally get a tan. I'm not counting on it but I feel like this is my best shot.

This week went pretty well. Things were kind of hard with my new companion. I think she was pretty upset about having special transfers and it took me a while to adjust to her... mannerisms. But we had a great companionship inventory and now things are going a lot better. 

This week we walked a lot and had a really hard time finding people to teach. But we had a member who brought a friend to our English class and he seemed excited to read the book of Mormon. The nice things is that his christian and not catholic. They are usually a little more accepting. Well... No one here is very accepting but the good thing is they've already changed religions once. 

We had 3 investigators at church this week! María who is still planning on getting baptized a week from Saturday, Jessica who is living with a less active member and Alfonso who is the brother of a recent convert. We were planning on a lot more but we're very happy with the three that came and hope to have even more next week. 

This week I was studying in 4 Nephi chapter 1:41. It talks about how the wicked people put a lot of money into their church's and that got me thinking about what it really means to sacrifice. I used to think that Christ gave his life so that we wouldn't have to suffer, but that's not really true. He did it so that as we, imperfectly, sacrifice our self, it can be enough. That sacrifice can still meet the demands of just and we can be perfected. But we still have to sacrifice everything that we are. At some point (i don't remember doing it ) I wrote in the margin of my book of Mormon "Are you willing to sacrifice who you are now, in order to become who God wants you to be?" And I guess that's really the question. I sure hope that I'm willing.

I love you all!

Hermana Schmidt

Week 32 ~ February 29, 2016 ~ Cambios Especiales

Well this week was totally crazy. Friday morning we got the call that there were going to be special transfers. Hermana Barzola left to go to San Luis and my new companion is the Hermana Yañez. She had a problem with the president of the relief society in the other area so they sent her here. Even though she has about 6 months more in the mission than me they left me as senior companion and I'm pretty sure she is not happy about that.

It's been an adjustment but all is well. I was listening to President Kimball talk about pride and he quoted Ether 12:27. The first part has never really stuck out me but this time it sounded.... almost like a warning. It says "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness." What a weird promise. But it is true. But his assurance of blessings comes at the end and that is even more true.

I love you all! Have a good week. 

Hermana Schmidt