December 11, 2017

From Jen - Nine Days but Who's counting?:

Dear Josh,

Well, Sam’s Farewell happened. He gave a very spiritual and mature talk about why he’s serving a mission and The Path of Happiness. It’s starting to become very real, suddenly. We’ll spend our time doing last minute stuff as well as preparing for YOU. It’s crazy. I get a lot of comments about how emotional it’s all going to be. Yes, thanks for the reminder. Haha.

Great week. Here are some pics explaining it all.



Our dug out froze into a beautiful skating rink. So fun.



Ben, who falls asleep every moment he can. He spend 12-15 hours a day at the school practicing for his play. He’s tired.



We performed at the Ward Christmas Party.



Sam preparing for his talk



Any other spare moment ... playing Dungeons and Dragons.

We’ve also enjoyed focussing on Light the World and paying attention to different ways of serving. Sam and I are heading out this morning to go help Sis. Till with some cleaning and maintenance on the apartment she manages. It’s good to serve.

Also, you have nine days to pay attention to your personal prayers and scripture study. I have LOTS to tell you when you get home and I want you to be able to say that your last week of being a missionary was impactful because of your daily devotion to connecting with the Lord. Don’t slack. I love you.

Mom

From Josh - A lasting change:

"Don't let it slip away" was the counsel from a member of my ward, it is easy to lose a lot of what is learned on a mission. In my departing interview with my mission president said that with every decision that I need to move forward confidently. So here I go. 

I have learned a thing or two on my mission... I have learned that in order to get the trust of people you need to be yourself, be real, help people to see that you are not just there for yourself but for those you speak to.

Two years can change a man... It is super weird that I have only one week, I am trying to do all I can to leave a lasting impact and help this ward to be better for having me rather then giving up... It is hard at times, I am grateful for all the words of encouragement and support that I have gotten on my mission, I realize that I could and should have done better on a lot of things, like sending letters home, being more confident, and speaking to more people, I still have many things to work on as a person, and I am excited to continue to rely on the Lord for what I stand in need of. 

I was reading recently in Alma just beginning the war Chapters and I have been struck by the onset and the integrity of Moroni, and in the most recent story I was surprised to admire Zarahemna and his honesty, when given the option to enter a covenant and leave or continue fighting he could have accepted it and lied about entering a covenant, but he told Moroni that he would not enter into a covenant that he felt he could not keep. I wrote in my margins "don't promise things that you won't follow through on" A good proverb for life... Another thing about that story is the comparison with armor and testimony, even though the Laminites fought like dragons, they still were swept down because their armor was not there, they had none, the same would happen to us if we had no testimony. The Book of Mormon is amazing. 

I love you all and hope things are good, this week will be full of lasts and good bye's, and next week will be a lot of firsts and hello's I am excited for one and not so excited for another, I will truly miss it here, the people, the places, and the experience, I love my mission, and I am so glad I was able to serve with all my heart, so many things have come and gone, every day is a gift and I hope to cherish and value it as much as I can. 

Love

Josh.
​

December 3, 2017

From Mom - Elder Smith:

Dear Josh,

Here is a picture to start the email ...

(They were watching promo videos.) It’s such a strange idea to think we’ll be swapping Sam out for you. In three weeks, I’ll be sending a picture like this to Sam but you will be in his place and I just can’t wrap my brain around it. Don’t get me wrong, we all are SUPER super excited to see you. The girls are marking off their calendars until the big day (and it’s not Christmas). 

It’s been a busy, busy week. Ben is at the school until 9 every night (that makes 15-16 hour days). It’s insane and I’m not happy about it. Having said that, I think it will be a good experience for him to be in a live play. They are doing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

We also performed as a family at the Stake Christmas Event. This is what my journal has to say about it ...

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Our family was asked weeks ago to sing at the Stake Christmas Event. My opinion was a resounding “NO” but Chad had other plans. I reluctantly and petulantly went along fighting with my own inner demons along the way. The end result was Mia singing her rendition of Jingle Bells on the ukulele which morphed suddenly into Ben’s God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen piano solo which morphed to Sam playing guitar while Abby sang Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus where Chad and I joined at the end at which point we all sang Away in a Manger. I was particularly proud of my role playing percussion on the jingle bells (insert eye roll) but I was NOT prepared for the onslaught of sincere compliments. 

My favourites were, 

Jeff Fitzner: “I do not often get emotional, but when your family went up and I heard you sing, I was definitely teary-eyed.”

Danielle: “I loved your song! I loved it! My favourite from the entire night! Your children are so grown up and adorable at the same time.” (Coming from a girl in my young women’s group 17 years ago). 

Ron and Alaina Sirtonsk (from our old ward): “We were at the temple and decided to crash Riverbend’s Christmas Concert. Boy, are we glad we did. Seeing your family up there (everyone is getting so big!) made our entire night. Beautiful. Thank you. We miss you.”

Church society is not where I look for validation, but I was surprised by it this time. I attribute it to the softening of my heart I’ve experienced recently. My humility project has opened my eyes to possibilities I’ve never considered before. While we were singing I saw teary-eyed Kenny sitting with Ruby. For that alone, I was glad. For the few who matter to me, worth it. Worth it all the way. Thanks, Chad. If it wasn’t for you, many things wouldn’t happen in my life that need to. We’ve somehow become “that musical family,” which is the biggest surprise of my life. 

Now we can focus on the rest of Sam’s prep. He has one rabies shot to go and he’s caught up. Poor kid has had enough needles and pills to last a lifetime to prevent him from getting malaria, typhoid, cholera, rabies, poliomyelitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, influenza and any number of bacteria he might encounter in Zambia for which his little-white-boy-first-world-upbringing has not prepared him for. Oi!

We also had the privilege of babysitting Todd and Jamie’s boys this week. Just a little recap from Instagram ...

I suppose we’ll have to remind you of everyone’s names when you get home but apparently Connor has diligently prayed for you for two years despite the fact that he can hardly remember you. Todd says he  prays “bless Josh on his mission that he will be safe.” So cute. 

And this is Nate, who was a tiny baby when you left. 

It’s going to be a pretty fun Christmas this year. 

Just to be accountable, my personal scripture study is going strong and I’ve loved the challenge of making it a higher priority to  my morning routine. It makes SUCH a difference. I’m excited to show you my new study method. Keep a going, Elder Smith. Stay focused. Make as much difference as you can. Strengthen your testimony daily. Follow the Spirit. Keep smiling.

Love you forever,

Mom

See our driveway made of ice? Dad’s getting good at pulling people out. 

For fun:

From Josh - Peace is my watchword

This week has been a constant up and down... mostly up though, which is good, I have been really slacking these past couple weeks on my prayers and scripture study, and I have been really trying this week to get back into the groove of things, saying my prayers every night, reading the scriptures more devotedly, and this week I have been the recipient of much peace and energy.

One cool experience was when my companion got an energy drink to keep awake and going, and I really wanted one because I was super tired, but I prayed instead and asked for the energy I needed to continue on, because I knew that nothing in this world can compare to the wonders of God, and throughout the day I was filled with so much excitement and energy that I didn't know what to do with it all, I felt as if I could walk and not be weary, run and not faint. It was pretty cool to feel. That was my little miracle this week.

Most of the things that stuck out this week were the ward Christmas party, teaching in spanish and members feeding us soooooo much food, I love it though, there are so many people are that I have grown to love, and a fact I have realized my whole mission is that the Lord doesn't transfer me from an area until I truly fall in love with the people in that area. And this time he times it perfectly, he knew exactly how long it would take for me to truly feel like I found my place and that was when I was going home, I am really looking forward to coming home, but will miss it here, I will miss the wonderful experiences and the great people who have had such a great impact on me. I have learned a lot here and one of the things I have learned the most is that people care more about how much you care rather then how much you know it has been a guiding light and a great realization for me, that no matter how many people try to prove me wrong when I tell them how much this matters to me and bear my testimony from my heart, when that happens no human logic can deny someones passion for the gospel, and no one can take away the love you have for someone else. People can feel that even when it isn't expressed, when you do something out of christ like love it impacts those who need that love. I may have said this before and it may sound kind of nerdy but in Star wars those in the dark side try to avoid feelings of love, because love is weakness, it is a reliance on someone else, an opening up that leaves you vulnerable to more pain, but when you open yourself up, you open up to greater peace and joy, happiness and wonder. 

Christ is always reaching out to us. We may withhold our hearts because of others or because of disbelief, he is always ready to lift us up, he is our master and peace is his watchword, he offers it freely to everyone who will have faith in him and keep his commandment.

We were in a lesson recently and we were teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, (something that sam will get pretty acquainted with) and after the lesson the member piped up and said, that no matter what happens, no matter what anyone tells you, if you rely on the gospel and kind of go back to the basics whenever someone offends you or whenever something comes up that makes you doubt if you go to the simple gospel it can help you keep a focus on what is important. That really stuck out to me because there will be offenses there will be things that come up that we don't know, church leaders are imperfect, but the gospel is perfect and if we rely on that we will make it through. 

Well I love you all, these emails are in shore supply, but I want you to know that I have a testimony of this Church, it is truly Gods church on the earth in these days, the fulness of the gospel is found on the earth once more, that is the gospel I have been called to preach, and its the gospel that we all are responsible to stand as witnesses of. At all times, in all places. 

Hope you all have a good week. 

Josh. 

Pictures with members, important memories to keep. 

And... Flying spaghetti monster religious sticker... funny idea that. 

November 27, 2017

From Dad - Busy Season

Hi Josh. Hope things are going great in Sunny California. We've been having some unseasonably warm weather here. The challenge is that everything is turning into a skating rink especially our driveway. Ben pulled a little too far out of the garage before turning towards the driveway and ended up stocjnin the slope mainly because his front wheels were on pure ice. 

We are slowly pulling together a medley of songs for our family to perform at the Stake Christmas party on Saturday. We are both excited for it and excited to be finished it. Here is the plan:

1. Mia starts with "Jingle Bells" on Ukelele on a stool in the spotlight at the mike with Mom playing bells in the background

2. Ben comes in with a piano solo "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

3. Sam and Abby come up and Abby sings "Said Samuel" while Sam plays the guitar.

4. Mom and Mia and then me join in the second verse.

5. Ben plays intro to "Away in a Manger" and accompanies the family singing this to close.

Amelia pulled out her homeschooling calendar today and started writing down all our December events and pretty much filled every day in with something. Ben has a school Christmas concert plus a play. Sam has an institute choir concert just like you did before you left.   

Ben was invited to the LCHS awards ceremony. Little did we know we would have to wait through 2h of awards to get to the honor role so Ben could get his very own.... wait for it ... pen. Woot woot. 

As you can see from the attached picture that the girls have already imposed their Christmas spirit on our home with decorations. 

In other news, the boys have found an alternative to video games. Once Sam stopped working, he decided to help fill he time, he would get into Dungeons and Dragons... in my day parents worried about this game like we do about video games today. The good thing is that it is face to face and the kids are doing it together and with Cody and even the DeVries boys. Like all things, done in moderation it can be good.

I got an invitation from Sister Lambert this last week to pause every day and identify the hand of God in my life and to note the whispering of the spirit. Then, she invited me to share in Sunday School. 

So I shared my most recent experience from yesterday. 

One of the people that Sam worked with (Daryl Teeter) at Classic, has been coming to Church and was baptized yesterday. Because Sam worked with him, Sam wanted to go to the baptism after coaching his Gymnastics class. I had met Daryl in SS class a few Sunday's ago and I had the impression to go to the baptism. Saturday afternoon the opposition started. First the car was dead, then I plugged in the charger to a cord that started spitting fire. Finally I got the car started and headed off. First tender mercy was that the baptism started late and so I got there just in time and when I entered the RS room, there was Sam. It was a great feeling to see him there of his own volition. Then, on Sunday, in Ward Council, I found out that Sam had been asked to perform the confirmation! Of course he hadn't thought to tell us, but we were proud of him all the same. 

There is something just amazing that happens in little ways when we follow the spirit.

Another conversation that I enjoyed at Church yesterday was with Brother Don Bates. He was telling me about his new job and how they were dealing with various challenges and implementing different initiatives. He made the statement that he was "Drinking the Kool-Aid, essentially meaning he was buying into the company direction and philosophy wholeheartedly. This sparked a conversation with Ben and I this morning before he drove himself to Seminary (still hard to believe that he's able to do that!) where we talked about drinking the Kool-Aid of the Gospel plan and participating in the church. We talked about the purpose and joy of having a calling and serving in the church. I shared with him my testimony of how important that has been for me and about wholeheartedly being "All In" so that we can have the full joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his Church. 

So now you have just a few weeks left, I hope you are still drinking the Kool-Aid of your mission experience and being wholehearted about your service and efforts. It is the true path of happiness.

Love Dad.

From Josh - Enduring to the End

The gospel of Jesus Christ embodies five main points, first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by the proper authority, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.

I feel on my mission it has been such a great chance to develop faith, I have had many opportunities to repent, I have taught and have tried to stay true to my baptismal covenants, I have been following the spirit as much as I can... Enduring to the end is a little difficult at times though. 

This week was not the most eventful week, since it was thanksgiving, we have been having a fun time though with the Christmas initiative #lighttheworld, it has a great message, but what frustrates me is when people don't want to listen, or get into the spirit of Christmas, what makes me the most frustrated is when you have such a wonderful message that you know will change peoples lives and they don't seem to see it. 

I recently read in Alma 27 and one of my favourite few verses are 17-18 when Ammon sees Alma and his joy is so full that he is overcome and falls to the ground. Then next verse explains that that is the joy in which only comes to the humble seekers of happiness. A happiness that is explained earlier that comes from seeing each other still strong in the faith, I encourage you all to seek to continue to develop your testimonies that we may see each other  whether it be in this life or the next still strong in the faith. 

I am sorry that this is short, we have been busy and I don't have much time, I hope all is well with you all! That everyone is getting into the Christmas season! I love you all a ton. See you soon.

November 20, 2017

From Mom - Hang on for the Ride:

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! 

November 13, 2017

From Dad - A Temple Week:

Hi Josh,

We had a wonderful week this week taking Sam to the temple for the first time. He looked fantastic all dressed in white and I am so proud of you, Sam and Steph for choosing to enter into eternal covenants with the Lord and receive those great and marvelous promises of the endowment. I imagine if we all stopped to think about it for a few minutes we could identify times when we have experienced that endowment of power we received in the temple. I believe that if we remember it more and have faith in the Savoir's ability and willingness to bless us because of this choice to covenant with him, we would see even greater miracles in our lives.

Sam got laid off this last week and so has been able to drive the kids around a bit. On Friday, he got Cody and took the girls to meet Ben after school and went to the Movies and saw the latest Thor movie. After they left, Mom and I looked around and realized we had the house to our-self for 6 hours! So we had an in house date and it was awesome. We made an amazing meal together and watched a fun movie on Netflix and ate some of the girl's Halloween candy. I sure love your Mother and hope you and Sam and Ben can find someone like her who loves the gospel and listens to the Lord.

Sam has decided to try out Dungeons and Dragons with some of his free time and he has been helping all the kids create characters as well as Cody. D&D always has had a bit of a reputation but I think it is a fun way for the kids to interact with each other and is more interactive than video games. All things in their proper balance and life is good. I actually played D&D a few times with junior high friends. It's an old game.

Ben is getting into full Musical Theater mode as they have to spend from 2-8 pm every day and 4 hours on Saturdays up until the performance in December. Too bad you'll just miss it. It is "Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat". He absolutely loves musical theater (even more than basketball :|).

Abby and Mia continue to grow up and you are going to be shocked I think at how much they've grown and matured. Circle of life keeps turning. They are enjoying the snow and we even have a skating rink on our very own dug out! Life is good!

I've been pondering a lot lately about the power of good habits and have been thinking how I need to develop some more of them! Specifically I'm working to bring back reading the Book of Mormon daily into my life. As you and Mom have mentioned, I find that it brings a purpose and direction into my day that is missing otherwise. I also really enjoyed D&C 76 a couple of mornings ago as I pondered on the great mercy of the Lord. We are are religion that believes that 99.9999% of the Lord's children will go to Heaven and receive a degree of glory!  Of course healthy eating and exercising habits always top the list of wanting to improve, but still sporadic there. 

It comes back to the principle that when desires come up against self-discipline, desires always win. So the solution is to change our desires... but how do we do that? Elder Ballard suggests that this can be done with the help of and as a gift of the spirit. So I need to change my true desires from the cravings for sugar and my favorite foods and comfortable desk job to desires for health and strength and increased energy and mobility. I guess I know what I'll be praying for if I want to do this!

Keep sprinting to the end, my beloved son. You are doing a great work, not the least of which is building your self into a man of God.

Question for the week: 

What habits have you developed on your mission that you hope to carry forward when you come home?

Love,

Dad.

From Josh - Missionary shenanigans:

So President Henrie is either a genius or a little crazy, my new companion Elder Lorensen is an older missionary in fact he goes home the transfer after me, Pro's and Con's to this companionship....

Pro's 

We both know pretty well what we are doing.

We both have been through enough companion's that we know how to First adapt to each other's teachings styles, and Second learn to get along despite our differences. 

We both can work together and have a lot of experiences to share and knew a lot of the same people, so never a lull in conversation. 

Con's 

We are both trying not to think about home, but both are losing fire, I am doing my best to keep trucking on, it is difficult with so little time on my mind. 

Well other then that not too much, that is the biggest one. 

One of the cool experiences of this week happened today, we were heading to email but a potential investigator had said that the only time she had was today at 10 so we went over. 

She had previously implied that Her husband would be able to show us a thing or two about the bible... and also that her dad had converted to christianity from mormonism... a few things that a missionary who just wants to help people come to Christ does not want to hear, but we said we would come by so we went fully expecting a bash session that would probably last 2 hours (that is how long they usually go for) My companion came fully ready for a bash, he brought his quad with so many sticky notes and book marks that you could not see the pages. Needless to say, we were prepared. So we walked in not knowing what to expect, and we sat down and her husband asked what our purpose was as missionaries, and we told him that we were to help others come unto Christ, and we started sharing how after centuries of being lost the fullness of the gospel has been brought back by a living prophet. We talked about Christ and his setting up the original church and talked about how it was lost and brought back, we testified of the truths and simplicity of the gospel and after we asked if they had any questions, it was interesting because this ladies husband didn't bash us he just said that it was pretty interesting, because the bashing question came from the lady, she asked why we think that we can add to the bible with the Book of Mormon, and I saw a gleam in my companion's eye and he started whipping out the Bible, I didn't want to get into anything too deep so I just simply testified of Gods love for all his children and how he wanted to speak to all his children. Elder Lorensen was super awesome and came in clutch with the spirit and used the scriptures to explain the reality that God speaks in all ages, and explained what Revelation 22:18-19 meant using also Dueteronamy 4:2 to explain that God simply wants his gospel and his teachings unmixed with error after that we testified of the truth of the Book of Mormon and gave them a copy. 

Other then that this week has been a little bit of a drag, we have been really trying to get out and find people but not too many people are that receptive, we had a ward scout fundraiser it was a big luau and the young women of the ward did a hula dance, and the scouts did the haka which was hilarious, we were able to help set up and had a good time meeting people and eating the food. 

It is weird how the spirit works... its been directing me recently like a wave pool, when i am in a place where I don't need to be (not that its a bad place its just not where I am needed at that moment) I don't feel the spirit, and I keep thinking that I am not a good missionary... then the thought comes to move to a different area, and I know exactly where i need to be as soon as the spirit comes flooding back. I think the spirit works differently with each one of us, to guide and direct our paths, it may not be a loud voice... though I have heard its voice before... but mostly it is a quiet feeling. It comes in feelings of peace, love and calm, it speaks through other people and helps us to understand truth, I am grateful for the knowledge that we have of the reality of God being able to speak to all of us individually through personal revelations... a lot of people we talk to don't have that and are very confused.

Habits that I have developed as a missionary has helped me to grow closer to God then ever before, a few of the habits that I have developed is reading in the scriptures, i would love to keep that going because there is so much more to learn then just on the surface layer, there is symbolism and analogies, parables and doctrine, I want to maintain a habit of personal study everyday. 

Another habit I would like to keep would be to wake up early and exercise, I have woken up early pretty much my whole life (thanks mom and dad! But seriously... thank you) The one thing I lacked was a steady habit of exercise, after exercising I have a lot more energy then before and it prepares me for the day. 

Another thing would be maintaining healthy eating... this isn't so much a habit I have formed on my mission (Its kind of hard sometimes as a missionary) but I would like to develop it because of my mission. 

I love you all so much tell everyone that I love them and can't wait to see them. 

Love Josh

P.S.

Sorry I don't have any pictures this week I am emailing at a place where I can't plug any pictures in. 

November 9, 2017

Mid week surprise message from a member in California. Jen posted this on Instagram:

November 6, 2017

From Mom More Holiness:

Dear Elder Smith,

Sometimes I sit back amazed at how quickly time is flying! I am reminded of a visit I had with Sue Bolan, shortly before she passed away. She expressed some regret for actions in her early life and was a little worried she would have to meet her maker soon. We talked about the power of the Atonement and the gift of repentance and how she was on the right path. I asked her if she could live her life again, what is one thing she would change? She thought for a moment and answered,

“I would make every day matter.”

It’s an idea I think about often. How does a person make every day matter? I suppose a simplified answer includes living worthy to be guided by the Holy Ghost. If we lived every day with awareness of the Holy Ghost’s guiding influence and acted accordingly, our days would matter. Then those days would string together to form weeks and months of true Living. I love this idea!

We had a busy and eventful week. Halloween was Tuesday and we discovered the country generosity for handing out treats. Here was my Instagram post of the day...



It was a fun Halloween despite Abby’s sickness. We went to Devon afterwards and spent the evening with the Driessen’s so Mia could trick-or-treat with Emma, who was a Dice as well. Get it? Pair of dice? They were so cute! Dad handed out candy to about 20 kids. It was chilly and started to snow after we came in and woke up to this ...

So winter gently came and it’s here to stay.



It’s just so gorgeous living out in the country although the roads are terrible. I just want to stay in all the time. Ben is scheduled to take his driver’s test on November 16. I’ll never know why we waited until winter came. He is enjoying school and doing well academically, involved in musical theatre and choir. He’s busy. We just had a specialist appointment where they sent a scope up his nose and we found out everything is healthy ... his congestion is due to some inflammation which is easily remedied (apparently).

Sam is working his last week this week. He will be glad to be done with Classic and he’s happy he has all his mission money. He still has immunizations to do and we’re planning to go to the temple on Saturday for his endowments. It feels like serious déjà vu from two years ago when we were preparing for you to go. Capital City Gymnastics asked him to do some coaching up until he leaves and he’s pretty happy about that. He misses his training and now he will be able to do it for free.

Dad is dad ... the same steady guy who keeps us taken care of always. I’ve been feeling extra grateful for him lately. He works hard, his income pays the bills and keeps us fed, he jokes and laughs and keeps us smiling, he works to keep himself worthy of the priesthood and blesses us with spiritual guidance, he helps out around the house and fixes our vehicles. I’m a lucky girl. And I’m also a lucky mom because my sons are turning out just like him.



In this picture, he’s reading a book called Rules For a Knight. I think you would like this one. Which reminds me ... Rob and Naomi Burton asked me if I would direct Liber Youth Retreat this year. I agreed to as it seemed the only way to keep it going ( it was cancelled last year), so be prepared to help out if you can! They will plan it alongside me but they won’t be able to be there in person in August, but our family will be there making sure it runs smoothly.

We also agreed to prepare a family Christmas number for the stake Christmas event as well as organize the music for the ward Christmas party. With Ben’s piano playing, Mia’s ukulele, Abby’s singing, Sam’s guitar playing, we should be able to put something together. Wish us luck!

How is your personal study going?

I finished my B of M and will be starting again with the challenge of becoming more Holy. I don’t even know what that means, but I’m looking forward to finding out! I love, love, love the spiritual strength that comes from dedicating mornings to developing that relationship with God. It really does magnify and affect the moments of every day.

Tell us a teaching story from this week!

Have you decided what you are doing with your bike?

Are your shoes holding up?

Know that we love and pray for you always. We’re so proud of you.

Love forever,
Mom

From Josh - Six weeks to do everything.

Well looks like I have made it to my final transfer on my mission, I never thought this day would come, and it kind of makes me nervous to think that I will be doing a lot of "lasts" as a missionary, we will see how it goes, I am going to be getting an awesome companion this transfer, though I have no clue what we will talk about, he is into hunting and fishing and outdoor sports... well I don't relate too much because I am more of an indoor person, but hey! we will figure it out. I am going to be serving in this ward for the last few weeks of my time and for that I am kind of grateful, I won't have to lose the fire by not knowing the area or being in a different place with a new comp. So I get to keep working with these amazing people. This last week we have had a lot of good opportunities to teach and to share this message and also a lot of rejection, teaching in a trio is a lot more interesting then teaching as a duo, it takes a lot of comp unity. We honestly don't get much opportunity to teach in this area, at least impromptu teaching moments, we recently have been teaching a young women, her name is Mikayla Soucy, she is the daughter of someone I recently helped to baptize, we have been helping to gain a testimony of the truth of our message and so far she is receptive, she is 11 years old though so she has trouble focusing, we have had to keep our lessons short and to her level, it has been fun to see what ways we can make the lessons fun and exciting, including hand gestures, pictures and questions... I am grateful that I can have the spirits help in teaching because I am not the most eloquent of speakers and the spirit does a pretty good job at filling in the gaps. 

I have been delving into the Old Testament recently and trying to get through the standard works before i finish... I got to around the 5th book of moses before I felt I should stop going deep into the Old Testament and focus more of my studies concerning the Book of Mormon and New testament, even though the Old Testament is super interesting and I have gained such an appreciation of its intricacies and prophecies of Christ, but I feel the spirit much more when I read the New Testament and The Book of Mormon, I have been reading the Book of Mormon everyday, and there was a day this week that I missed, all throughout that day I was struggling to feel guided and directed by the spirit and the next day after reading the Book of Mormon I felt much more confident in the abilities God has given me.

Recently we have been getting bashed on the topic of becoming like God, Elder Rather put it a in a good context, a lot of people looking in see all our beliefs from the perspective of or in comparison to their beliefs. When comparing our beliefs to theirs it can seem like night and day (Which is interesting as we consider the apostasy and restorations as night and day as well) But going back to the main point, I believe that God wants us to become like Him, to live up to our full potentials, and what an enabling power and understanding. If God wants us to become as He is, then that should drive us to develop more self control, more respect towards our fellow man, more love towards our enemies, greater compassion and charity, deeper love for nature, more drive to learn and grow our talents. I loved Jeffrey R Hollands talk on how God has not given us a commandment that he doesn't keep himself, so in expressly giving us a commandment and even new commandments He is inadvertently telling us that we should become more like Him day to day. 

I love you all so much, I am doing my best to be the missionary that God wants me to be, I fall short a lot of the time but I am grateful for the redeeming power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, I am trying to follow his example and my invitation would be to all just to try the same, we can always do a little less of something bad and do a little more of something good, look for opportunities to improve, ask God to chasten you to bring you to a remembrance of your duties, I hope that after all is said and done that we will all meet triumphant in the kingdom of our God. 

Josh.

-When we join the dark side and become sith lords.

-Halloween I dressed up as a bike missionary, Elder Rather dressed up as a new missionary, and Elder Erickson dressed up as Dan Jones one of the greatest missionaries in this dispensation.

-Zone pumpkin carving

-The state of my shoe at this time... but all in all its holding together.