The Power of a COLORADO Testimony

This week I learned many lessons. Life lessons, gospel lessons, and how to be a better missionary lessons. I really want to share with you the lessons that I learned... I guess the next week will be the same, because the next email I will write will be the LAST ONE I write as a full time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, assigned to labor in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission (aka the best mission for me)! I'm still in shock that this is my last week as a full-time missionary :(

Monday: We got to have dinner at our Ward Mission Leader's home with the M family! D was TOTALLY listening as we talked about the Holy Ghost! Our WML was testifying about how important having the Spirit with us is. He was able to relate it to work and how much he relies on the Holy Ghost! It was awesome!!

Tuesday: We got to teach the Cs (our less-active family that we are really trying to help)! It is great, but hard to teach them because Sister C really likes to chat. Well, it was a MIRACLE that we got to teach almost the entire Plan of Salvation! Sister C is more active and just wants to get sealed in the temple, but more pressing, wants her husband to bless their baby (she is pregnant)! I want them to go to the temple so badly! They will be so blessed! It ended up being a fantastic lesson and hopefully Bro. C will pray soon... we asked him if he had prayed this week, and he hadn't :( I know that prayer really will change our lives! We had dinner with a less-active couple, the E's. It breaks my heart to see that Sis. E wants to change and come back, but is worried about her husband. He does not really want to change at all right now, which is so hard!! We met with a couple of Young Women as well. One is really struggling, and one wants to prepare to serve a mission, YEAH!!!! It was fantastic being with both of them on a cold winter snowy day! It was really interesting seeing the differences in the two. One who is struggling and just needs the help of the Lord, but by first doing her part; versus the other who has excitement and loves talking about experiences she has had with feeling the Spirit! There really is a difference and it was hard seeing that, but also a cool realization. The Holy Ghost does impact us and as we want to change, we will!

Wednesday: I got to be at home all day. My companion was sick, poor thing. I got to study for a longer time and got some things done that I needed to, so it worked out. It was hard to just be in, but that's how life goes. Sometimes it is nice to take a break, but we usually feel the happiest when we are out and about, helping those around us!

Thursday: I had the privilege of hearing from, drum roll please, Elder David S. Baxter of the Quorum of the Seventy! He came to visit our mission, and it was awesome! We didn't get to have a mission conference, but he did a mission tour (so we met with only 3 zones together instead of the entire mission).

When I get home I will have to be disciplined. I won't have a routine schedule that I will get to stick to. I mean I have flexibility in my daily missionary life, but guess what, there is one focus, not a bazillion like when I get home. My focus now: To invite others to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. Did you know that the focus of The Church is this: Come Unto Christ and be perfected in Him - Moroni 10:32? IT IS!! And it can be broken down to 3 simple words, "COME UNTO CHRIST" yup, that's it. The entire focus of this WORLD WIDE church are 3 simple words, "Come Unto Christ." Everything else stems from that. How great is it that we have the chance to be disciples and followers of the one perfect person who ever lived on this earth? IT IS THE GREATEST THING EVER!!! It was a great conference and I learned a lot. The focus ended up being after our missions, which was awesome since there were a lot of departing missionaries in the group. One of my favorite parts of it was at the very end. I had a very sweet conversation with Hermana L on the last time that I would see her. She thanked me for being her Sister Training Leader. I was only her Sister Training Leader for one transfer and didn't even have the pleasure of going on an exchange with her! I went with her companion, Hermana M. I was surprised at the fact that Hna. L was thanking me for what I had done. I told her that I was proud of her, and how excited I was when they told me that they had finally had a companionship inventory! I had talked to Hna. M about the importance of communication and how it could really bless their companionship, something she already knew but just needed that affirmation. I had no idea about the impact or influence I had had on Hna. L. She was moved to tears as she was thanking me. I truly love her, and it just added to my understanding that we will probably NEVER know the power of our influence! I am so grateful that she thanked me on a cold blustery winter day for the exchange I went on with her companion. You never know the power of your influence. I hope that I will be able to continue to bless lives, even if that is one at a time.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all great days too! Sorry this one is a bit shorter, but I need to get going! I love you all!! Oh, a miracle that happened this weekend was that we contacted a referral and we were able to set up a time to meet. When she texted us her address she thanked us for teaching her and her daughter!! WE HAVEN'T EVEN MET THEM YET and she is already THANKING US!! I am so excited to meet with them!

"When you start to understand the atonement, you will begin to look at others the way someone much greater looks at you, full of potential."

Love you all,
Sister Kelly Smith