Dear Elder Smith,
You will be pleased to know we had a Pie Making Extravaganza at our house and our freezer now has 25 apple pies (and a few strawberry-rhubarb). Perfect for the winter months when we need our house to smell delicious and when we’re in the mood to eat something warm and yummy.
The lady you see in the back ... her name is Tonia Rice. She’s new in our ward along with her family. Her son, Kylan, is the same age as Sam and it’s been fun for Sam to have someone to go through the missionary steps with. Kylan is going to Paris, France and enters the MTC on the same day as Sam. We’ve enjoyed having another family in our ward in Calmar.
In other news, Ben passed his driver’s test and can legally drive now. We went early for the road test so he could practice around Millet and while making a u-turn, got stuck in a snowy patch. We could not get out despite Ben and Abby pushing, throwing sand under the tires (we were on a slight slope). I finally said, “if we can’t get out in the next two minutes, I’ll have to call the registry to say we can’t make the test!” In a last ditch effort, and a silent prayer, we looked in the trunk and found a bag of gravel Dad put in for weight. We dumped a bunch of that under the tires and it did the trick and we got to the registry in time for the test. Phew! (I don’t have a picture. Too stressed at the time. Haha.)
THEN, on Saturday, we were so happy to send Ben on his own to the dump. He got there and promptly locked the keys in the truck while it was running. (*face palm*) I just told him it’s all part of having your license. “Live and learn, Ben. Live and learn.” Dad was a hero and unlocked the truck with a coat hanger. The best thing about this story, is that Dad went to rescue Ben with no idea how to help (we don’t have extra keys), but he went anyway and was able to solve the problem. We love our Dad!
We’ve been having fun in the snow. The water in our dug out in the back has frozen solid and the girls have been building crazy carpet runs off the berm. I hope this little video comes through ...
It is so fun. Even I went out and tried it a few times, promptly wiping out and bruising my rear end. Worth it. 
One fun surprise this week was spending some time with Shemona. She moved out about four months after you left and we’ve hardly heard from her since. We miraculously were able to get in contact with her through the WhatsApp app and happened to be in Edmonton on her 20th birthday, so we went out together and she helped me shop for pies.
You know, Grandpa always says, “Life is a rush so hang on for the ride.” More and more I’m seeing this is true, especially if we want to grasp hold of “every good thing.” Sometimes (or maybe always) we need time to ponder what is most important and do that thing. By the way, my personal study is still going well. I had a bit of a lull when I finished one Book of Mormon and starting another. I wrote this in the front cover of my new one,
Let is not be content with where we are, but neither let us be discouraged. As a simple but thoughtful hymn urges us, “Take time to be Holy, the world rushes on; spend time in secret with Jesus alone.”
I decided that my new course of study would be “spending time in secret with Jesus alone” with a special focus on Holiness. In last Conference D. Todd Christofferson said,
If we yearn to dwell in Christ and have Him dwell in us, then holiness is what we seek in both body and spirit. We seek it in the temple wherein is inscribed Holiness to the Lord. ... We seek it even in the details of daily living: our speech, our dress, our thoughts.”
I was/am intrigued by this idea of holiness in every thought and deed and wondered about a spiritual challenge for myself, which is, if I spend time alone with the Saviour every morning, I can’t help but be influenced positively with more light, knowledge and holiness. And be default, it’s an enabling power, which spreads that light to others. Pretty awesome how the Lord works with us as we turn to Him.
I’ve been enjoying pictures sent to me by Kaz Forbes, which gives me the impression that ward members love you dearly. Ha! And they should be, because you’re fantastic. I love that you’ve made eternal connections because of your mission. You have a month to go. Keep studying your scriptures every morning and making that spiritual lifeline a priority. With that, the Lord can take your knowledge and experience and help you with enthusiasm and energy in these last few weeks.
Love you forever,
Mom
P.S. Our pets deserve a small part in this email since they give us a lot of laughs.
From Josh - Flights and Anticipation:
Well I got my flight itinerary... and wow was it a punch to the gut. I have learned that my imagination is pretty active and the fact that now I know what time I will be home really got to me, thankfully I have been able to put it off of my mind so far and focus on the work, I love seeing here and the more time I spend with the members here, the more I want to leave the area in the best way I can, they all have a confidence and a trust in us as missionaries, a few of the members here know when I am going home and like to tease me with how little time I have nevertheless I am still focused.
Something that was pretty cool this week was when we were in the second hour of church one of the investigators that we have struggled to get in contact with walked in and it was super exciting because he has really wanted to change and we were about to write him off as someone who had dropped off the band wagon, thankfully he came and we are excited to continue teaching him. His name is Abe Cena and recently there was a car crash that killed a member of another ward that one of his family was involved in... so he went to the funeral and felt such a feeling of calm and forgiveness their that he wanted to learn more, the missionaries of that ward got in contact with us and as we thought him we found such a humility there that he truly wanted to feel more peace that came from the spirit, so I am super happy that he showed up and that we will be able to continue to help him towards lasting peace.
Just yesterday I was able to attend a Face to Face Broadcast with Dallin H Oaks and M Russell Ballard, it was super amazing and would highly recommend it if you haven't watched it yet they were able to answer some tough questions that people struggle with and I learned a lot. a thought I got from one of the answers Elder Oaks gave was that if you get an impression to do something that you don't want to do, and that thing is good then that is probably the spirit telling you to do it. It was in answer to the question "How can you tell the difference between your own feelings and the spirit" and throughout it they give further insight.
I have been feeling so much of the spirit these past few days and I tie it directly with my studies and diligence in reading the Book of Mormon, during sacrament meeting just before the sacrement hymn I looked over at the people who were to say the blessings and break the bread and realized that there was only one priest up their and as soon as I noticed I felt the spirit smack me in the face that I needed to go up there at that moment. So I did, and it was just in time for the sacrament hymn. That really was super refreshing, I am sooooo thankful that I am worthy and ready to serve and to participate in the ordinances and while I read the blessing on the water I had a sense of its great sacredness and power. I am grateful for everything in this church and have been receiving so many witnesses of its truth.
Well on the more temporal feel of life, I am pretty much out of money, my budget plan pretty much jumped right out the window and now I am down and out, I think I bought milk and carrots this week... Luckily I still have some food in the fridge... looks like it Ramen noodles and leftovers next week.
In other news, Its all about enduring to the end, with my mission, my companion... and my clothes, some of my cloths are so thread bare that they are see through, so for now I am working on using up the rest of my good pants... hopefully they will last till I come home...
Anyway I love you all, if you have questions feel free to ask!
Now for some pictures.
Elder Lorensen.
My zone.
Us!
Light the world christmas campaign is coming!!!!!! make sure to tune in on November 24!
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