transfers

Hey Family!

 

First let me tell you about interviews a couple weeks ago.  President and I were talking about the area and the plan was for me and Sister Andrade to stay together until she goes back to temple square in four weeks, then I'd get a new temple square sister for two weeks, and switch at transfers and have one transfer to train the new sister in North Baton Rouge, and then the plan was for me to switch areas.  So basically it was set in stone that I was supposed to stay in North BR for another two transfers. 

 

But low and behold we got a call from the zone leaders last night and both Sister Andrade and I are being transferred.  Here's what happens last night.  We're at a dinner appointment with the Larsen's, and the zone leaders just called the office elders telling them one of them was being transferred.  Immediately after the zone leaders call us so I answered and they said both of us are being transfered.  I couldn't believe it so I handed the phone over to Sister Andrade and she asked him if it's true, and yes we're both being transfered.  It felt like my heart was just ripped out of my chest and smashed on the ground.  Haha yes I know I'm being dramatic here, but it's true!  It's not that I'm scared for my new area, I'm scared for the people here and don't want to leave them.   

 

here's a picture to make your day a little bit better.  :)

 

I don't even know what to think.  I thought for sure I was staying so I wasn't prepared to hear the news last night and I'm not ready to leave.  My heart is so full for the people in North BR and what makes it even worse is we're being double transferred out so there's bound to be tons of people dropped that we need to see on a weekly basis. 

 

It's so hard leaving the members and investigators!  We finally started having a couple investigators that are really interested and are starting to progress.  And what makes it even worse is yesterday we recommitted Kiwanna to be baptized on November 2 and she put it on her calendar and everything so it's really going to happen, she's counting down the days!  I just pray that the new sisters will be able to build that trust back immediately and be able to help her.  And then we were teaching a family, Chandra, Geneva, and Johnathan.  I told y'all about them earlier and I absolutely love their family!  We were just starting to teach them and they're golden.  Not to mention all the less active members we see on a regular basis.  I'm gonna miss everyone so stinkin much!! 

 

Chandra, Geneva, and Johnathan were supposed to come to church this past sunday but she texted us saying they couldn't make it because they had to find a new place to live because rent was due on monday and they didn't have enough money.  While on my mission the hardest thing is seeing all these people trying to do the right thing but are struggling so much financially or with other problems.  At times I just want to give them everything, give them the money for rent, and rides to church, and fix all their problems.  It's incredibly hard to see others suffering, and I felt that way hearing about Chandra and her family.  Thinking about it though it made me think how Heavenly Father felt while Christ was suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross.  People always focus on how much Christ suffered, but when you think about it it's hard to even imagine how Heavenly Father felt.  And the thing is he feels that way with everyone.  Heavenly Father has the power to make all our problems right, but he doesn't because he knows it's the way we have to learn and grow.  I'm sure it's real hard for him to put us through trials but he knows it will bless us. 

 

that's Boudreaux, the wolf!

 

Mom and Dad thank you so much for sending my ipod this past week! Y'all are the best.  Don't send anything to the address at my apartment anymore until I know the one for my new area, we'll find out tomorrow at transfer meeting.  If you are sending something just send it to the office though. 

 

Emily thank you so much for the letter you sent this past week!  I don't have time to write back today because we need to go say goodbye to lots of people but I'm gonna start reading the Book of Mormon tomorrow and our goal can be by the end of the school year, or you can change it when you want.  I'm gonna write everything I learn in the Book of Mormon and give it to you when I'm done but feel free to do whatever you want.  I'm real excited to start reading with you! 

 

Sarah!!  You finally got to see Sister LaPorte!  She's really is the greatest.  Haha what did she tell you about me?  I'd have to say the funniest memory I have with her is when we were cutting vegetables for the Wleh's.  We had to cut onions and our eyes were both watering so bad!  We had just cut jalapenos before though and I touched my eye with the jalepeno juice so it was burning!  Haha and in the meantime they asked us to try this other thing that they cooked so Sister LaPorte shoved it in my mouth because I couldn't open my eyes at all.  Haha we were both crying and laughing.  Finally we left and and went home and there Sister LaPorte touched her eyes with the jalepeno juice and her eyes were burning.  So I told her it was the jalepenos and she was freaking out!  Haha good times.  Good luck with the start of a new semester at school!  Tell Dee and Whitney I say hey.  :) 

 

Well, my mind is going crazy with things we need to do and people we need to see before tomorrow.  Hope y'all enjoy your tuesday and rest of the week.  I'll write to y'all next week! 

 

Love Always, Sister Schmutz  

ax and ye shall receive

Hey Family!

 

I hope y'all aren't getting too sick back home.  It's crazy that y'all say it's getting so hot and humid there because it's not really all the hot here.  It rains pretty much every afternoon though which is awesome!  I love the rain so much!  Haha and I can believe it that Lucy is getting real big.   

 

This week went by real fast but it was such a good week!  We had interviews with President and I'm pretty sure I know where I'll be serving for the next couple transfers but I'll let y'all know when I know for sure because I don't want to jinx anything, but let's just say I'm super excited!  Seriously time keeps going by so fast it's crazy! 

 

Alright so here's a sweet miracle from this week for y'all.  Well first let me explain the subject for the email, ax and ye shall receive.  Everyone in Louisiana says ax instead of ask.  And exactly that happened this week.  So last sunday we were fasting for Kiwanna because she had a baptismal date set but she hadn't come to church yet.  When we first met with her she said she'd just ask for work off because they were already overstaffed anyways and she thought it would be easy to get off.  But as soon as she asked her manager told her no.  We didn't know what to do because you can't just tell someone you've barely met that they should quit their job so we were working on building her faith first so she'd have enough faith to  quit her job.  Well we went by on Friday to see her and asked how she's been doing and how works been going.  And guess what she said...she quit her job!  She said she quit because she was sick of her manager, but really it was an answer to our prayers!  I'm so excited for Kiwanna and the things that are instore for her future! 

 

Something cool I learned in my studies this past week was related to unity.  In ZTM on friday we were talking about unity and something important I learned was that as a companionship you can be united, but you can also become unity in disobedience.  It relates to the people building the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.  The people were building the tower to find a shortcut to heaven.  And like it says in verse 6, "And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."  The people were all united in one purpose and one cause, and there were evident blessings from it.  But then in the next verse the Lord goes and confounds their language.  He confounded their language because they were united in disobedience.  They were trying to find shortcuts when they should've been living the right way and not finding shortcuts.  It's the same way with building unity in companionships, we can't find the shortcuts to be obedient, we must do the right thing together. 

 

I hope y'all have been reading your scriptures lately.  I promise that the blessings that will come from reading daily will be far greater than will come from anything else you could spend your time doing throughout the day. 

 

Hey and before I forget, Sarah, or Mom, or anyone.  Could you please find my ipod and send it to me this week, also send the charger!  President Wall challenged us to read the Book of Mormon before October 14 because the Book of Mormon play is coming to New Orleans then.  He said we could listen to it too and the office elders said they could put it on our ipods so we can listen to it in the car.  Thank you so much!! 

 

Hmm there's not much else to tell y'all but know that I love you!!  Send me any questions you want next week!  Hey and transfers is next week so I'll write y'all on tuesday.   

 

Love Always, Sister Schmutz

    

september

Hey Family!

 

Sorry we didn't get to email yesterday because the library was closed.  It feels like I haven't written to y'all in forever! 

 

Holy cow and I have a crazy story to tell you!!  Saturday we were visiting a referral and Brother Chou from our ward kept calling us over and over again.  So while Shandra was busy for a sec we went outside and decided to call him back because we figured it must be important.  So I get on the phone and he says, "Sister Schmutz, I have someone I want you to talk to."  And here's the crazy part, it was McKenzie Cooper!!  I guess one of the Chou's kids live in Oklahoma in the ward she's serving in and they were there visiting for the weekend.  We only talked for a real short amount of time but she sounds like she's doing great!  I'll have to find out more from the Chou's when they're back in BR. 

 

This past week was an awesome week.  Since it was the end of the month we had extra miles and part of our ward area crosses the Mississippi but no missionaries ever go over there because we don't have enough miles.  I think it was about two years ago when elders were assigned there but there was no progress so they took them out.  And currently there's only two active members over there, I don't blame them though because it takes them an hour to get to church.  So we decided to cross the river on Friday!  It was real pretty over there and we tried contacting a referral but she wasn't home and hasn't answered her phone.  Other than that we tried stopping by a couple less active members, we saw the Dedon's (active members), and then tried some tracting.  Let's just say all the people that live out in the middle of nowhere live there for a reason, because they don't want to be contacted.  But overall I think it was a great experience.  New Roads, the area up by False River was beautiful.  I'll send some pictures home to y'all next week.  Plus we got a brand new car this week so it was fun driving way over there in it. 

 

Another highlight from the week was when we got to watch Mulan for our monthly ward movie night.  Usually we have to watch church sonsored movies because the missionaries are in charge of movie night but President gave us permission to watch Mulan and it was great. 

 

A sweet miracle from this week was a referral we received from mormon.org.  It's kind of a confusing story but I'll try to explain it clearly to y'all.  So the referral was from her friend that lived in South Carolina and it said that she was interested in learning more and had two children.  So we try stopping by the address given and the guy there said that Geneva didn't live there anymore, she lived with her mom.  We were confused so we asked how old she was and he said 13, but the referral said that she had two children.  So we asked for her address here but he didn't know it but he gave us her phone number.  The phone number was the same as the one received but the one we had had a different area code and when we called it didn't work.  We were just about to stop by again to ask him for another phone number when I thought maybe we should try the local area code.  We asked for Geneva Johnathan because that's what her friend said her name was but turns out those are her two childrens names.  Haha so Shandra invited us over and she fed us.  Turns out they went to church in South Carolina with her friend and loved it there and really felt the spirit.  And she's been trying to find that same peace again.  I'm so excited to start knowing them better and bringing the peace and spirit back to them! 

 

us and prairieville down in NOLA.  :)

Something I learned in my scripture study this week was about faith.  Every month we strive to develop a christlike attribute and this last months was faith so I was already studying it a lot getting lots of conference talks to read.  And in Moroni 7 it talks a lot about faith, hope, and charity with how they're related.  In verse 40 it says, "And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope.  How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?"  In order to have faith we have to first have a belief.  And then we exercise that belief until we do have faith.  The definition of faith is unquestioning belief.  And the key to changing belief into faith is hope.  Hope is the key factor that changes our belief to unquestioning belief because we have enough faith. 

 

Sorry I have to hurry and email President before an appointment we have to be at soon.  I love y'all and hope you have a wonderful week! 

 

Love Always, Sister Schmutz