Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A CHALLENGING STAKE CONFERENCE!

(This was an email sent to us by one of Chandler's favorite missionary's Dad)
Sister Smith: We were in Winnipeg this last weekend picking up our son and met your son at a Fireside on Sunday night. What a great elder! Attached are a couple of snapshots of him and a some other elders plus another (for reference) with us and the mission president and wife. My son says Elder Smith is a "superstar" in the mission! It was great meeting him.
Thanks for making a connection through Carolynn.
Paul Riding


Friends and Family!


Thanks a ton for the emails Mom, Dad and Payt! You are the best! Grandpa, Happy Birthday!! I wrote you a letter but it didn’t say anything about your b-day! haha But its got some pics! Hopefully that works! Grandpa you are the best! Make sure that you out live me!! I have no doubt that you will be able too!! I am so sad that I missed the unveiling of the bike, but keep it in good shape so we can take some good rides when I get home, preferably to a fishing hole somewhere!


Mom, I haven’t got your package yet but don’t stress it! It will get here soon enough, I’m sure! Thank you so much!! Did you get Akon’s package or any news from her? I’m worried about her and I feel bad because she was so excited to get you that package!


Dad, I loved your email! And yes, I miss clean water!! I heard there is some great lakes for streamers up north a ways! We might have to take a trip and see the polar bears in Churchill and fish some lakes up there! Check it out and let me know the details on fishing up that way! I love knowing what I’m talking about when I talk to people. Mom, thanks a ton for the picture! Is Alex wearing my pants!? haha That kid is growing like crazy!! How is baseball going for him? Tell him and Addi I love them and they need to write me more!


As for your trip, be careful and Payt be smart at the Utah State Camp!! That’s messed up way to many senior years! Be smart and careful! Same with 2 a days!! Don’t work too hard and stay healthy!! You are definitely a gamer!! haha Love ya kid!!


So this week was crazy!! It rained non stop forever!!! I couldn’t get dry! haha Which is bad news because they say mosquitoes are going to be horrible!! So hopefully you are allowed to mail me some 100% Deet. But this week went really good and crazy otherwise! We taught Ben the Word of Wisdom and I was super nervous, but he took it great and all he has to get over is coffee, tea, and beer! NO SMOKING! I was happy to hear that! I’m yet to meet anyone in Canada that hasn’t at one point had Word of Wisdom problems! And Ben’s a stud, so he will do great!


This Sunday was insane!!! It was Stake Conference so we had to drive in to Winnipeg to watch! Which meant that we had to find rides for all of the investigators to go! A ton bailed last minute because of flooded basements and other stuff but Kimberly’s family made it and a kid named Dillion made it. Ben, Chris, Karl and Velma all couldn’t make it! Kimberly’s family did though and it was insane!!! We get there and her kids are going crazy!! They’re running all over and yelling and crying and screaming! Conference starts and because of the the storm outside, the connection kept cutting out so every couple minutes the video was going off and on! So I’m juggling kids, there’s food and toys going everywhere, I’m in and out every couple minutes because one wants a drink or needs to go to the washroom. It was so crazy and I didn’t get one thing out of conference! Except when President Uchdorf spoke I was able to hear a 5 min portion of it that was so powerful and I felt the Spirit so strong I had tears in my eyes! Now this might be because I was already on the verge of tears because of all of the madness! I’m convinced I’ll come home a much more patient kid! Or I won’t make it home at all! ha ha One or the other has to happen!


But then after conference the kids were all over in the gym, but it was over so we just let them go. I got to talk to Kimberly and she was stressed about the kids too, but she really enjoyed the conference! It’s funny because 30 mins into conference it felt like I’d been there for days and I legitimately thought the world was coming to an end! haha It’s funny how it doesn’t matter what happens with kids or weather or anything, the work still goes forward! It was funny because I was sitting close to Elder Willardson and he had a family with crazy kids too! He is such a great missionary but he looked like I did by the end of the day. It was fun to talk to him after because he can always make everything funny and he is so good at just making what comes, work! It’s so fun to be in his Zone!!


On Monday, we set up a Family Home Evening with Kimberly and her kids in the Holmes’ home. They are the best member family ever!! They help us out so much! And ya, it wasn’t a typo, haha their last name is Holmes! I didn’t have time to write any letters this week because all P-day we helped them paint. Then after painting, we hustled home and changed and then did the Family Home Evening with their family and Kimberly’s family! It went great!! The kids were crazy, but it really went well and Kimberly just keeps saying that this is really what she wants for her family!! I am super excited for her and she’s planning on getting baptized before the transfer is over!


Karl is doing great and getting closer to his date! It’s August 7th, but he’s ready now. We just have to get him over being nervous and move it up! haha Everything is going great!!


I love and miss all of you so much! Thank you so much for all that you do! Please be safe and smart! I did have just enough time to send you some pics this week. Sorry I didn’t have time to write a letter, but hopefully you enjoy the pics!! Love you a ton! Good luck with everything!! Love ya a ton!


Love Elder Smith!!


WORD OF WISDOM PROBLEMS ARE KILLING ME!


Friends and Family,


Payt, it sounds like it has been a really hard week. I’m so sorry to hear the news (about Michelle Mickelson)! Please let her know that she is in my prayers! Payton, I am so proud of you and your strong testimony! YOU ARE SUCH A GREAT EXAMPLE TO ME! Please keep me updated and know that I love and miss you a bunch!


Mom and Dad, thanks a ton for your emails, you are the best! Mom, I got your package! Thank you so much! Akon’s letter made me super nervous, sad and Agnes homesick!! She is such a great lady! Thank you so much for the package! You are the greatest!!


So this week was really tiresome! I hate drugs, tobacco and alcohol!! I wish I would have been more rebellious in high school so I could know what these people are going through! haha Well I won’t go that far, but comparing their addictions with my fly fishing and cookie addictions just doesn’t work! It’s so good that the Savior knows what they are going through, but it’s hard to have the confidence to teach them when I really don’t know what they are going through! Kimberly quit coffee and tea but she is really struggling with smoking! All of her friends smoke and they aren’t being supportive at all! It’s so frustrating! She is so ready and we helped her start the quit smoking program but her friends came and tore down all the no smoking signs and they got her to smoke! I hate agency steelers!! haha And there are so many of them here! It’s soooo true that misery loves company! Kimberly knows that this is right and true but it’s so hard for her to break out of her culture! That is the hardest thing for people here, it seems like! They feel the Spirit and they know it’s right, but it’s so hard to be different and break out of what they have just always known! It’s so sad because we have so many people that are so close! Three of the people we teach would be baptized tomorrow if it wasn’t for Word of Wisdom problems! It’s so hard, but I know that they all can break it! They know that it’s right!! Hopefully things work out there!


Good news is that Chris finally got work off! He’s been Word of Wisdom problem free for over a month now, and he has a baptism date for the third of next month!! Karl is doing great but he got pulled over by the cops the other day and there was alcohol that was open in his car. He hasn’t drank since we taught him Word of Wisdom, but he has dumb friends and he doesn’t always think things through! The weird part is that his court appearance is Aug. 6th and his baptism date is Aug 7th! It’s ridiculous how good Satan is at what he does! Then again, if Karl would have thought things through, he wouldn’t have been in this predicament! We are going to try and move his date up because he is ready for baptism but I don’t know what to do, really! We are talking to President about it tonight to see what we should do! Once again, Word of Wisdom problems are killing me!!


After tracting this last Saturday where every single person that we talked to had a beer, I about lost it! It’s so ridiculous! But we had a lot out to church again this week and things are going great other than Word of Wisdom problems!!


Thank you so much for all of your love and support! The packages, mail , and emails are so great! You guys are the best! I love and miss you all so much!! Payt, you are such a champ and I love and miss ya a bunch! Keep being a great kid and keep me updated on everything!


Sorry I’m not saying too much lately. We are in a rush to get going, but I love you all so much!! Stay safe and smart and tell all the newlyweds congrats!! (Bruce & JaNell, Stuart & Katherine) they all look great!!


Mom don’t stress about sending the 100% Deet at all! If everyone here can survive without it, I can! haha I was gonna ask you if you could get me the EFY 2008 CD and any other good church CD’s. We drive a lot, so it’s nice to have some other stuff! Don’t stress it, but if ya have a little time that’d be great! Keep me updated on Akon and if you get the stuff she was gonna send you!!


You guys are all the greatest and I love you all so much!! Stay safe and good luck with everything!! Last thing, I was just wondering if you could all give me a little input on anything to better understand the Atonement and helping people with addictions. I’ve been studying it a lot, but if there is anything that you have that can help me relate better or understand better, that would be great!


Dad, I loved the stuff you said this week! I needed to hear it! Payton, your letter also helped me a ton! Mom you are the greatest! haha You guys are all so amazing! Love you a ton!


Love Elder Smith!!