Dear Sam,
I've been going through your last few emails and posting them to the blog. it was a good chance to reconnect with your latest activities. Just today, Bro. Sharpe asked me how your doing and unless your masking it really well, I told him that you seem to be doing fantastic, taking into account the normal ups and downs of missionary life. So excited for the new baptisms and hope for your continued success finding and helping people come to Christ.
This last week I was travelling for work and had a chance to connect with my co-workers in other sites. Always miss the family when I go, though. One of my counterparts from India came too and so I really enjoyed getting to know him as we drove and ate together multiple times. We were able to talk about life and family and beliefs a few times.
I was able to go on a tour in Boston on the Charles river re-enacting the Boston Tea party. We got to throw some big tea bags into the water in memory of that historical trigger for the American Revolutionary war.
The Bruce reunion started Friday and we're having it here at our place! Lots of fun putting together a playground and visiting around the fire.
Uncle Todd entertained by setting off fireworks for Canada Day and the kids generally ran all over the place. Calvin and Campbell showed up and the teens enjoyed games and visiting.
Bro. Patrick and sister Till talked in church about dealing with the hard times of life, topped off by a 5th Sunday discussion on suicide. A sobering topic yet important to address. So important to understand the power of the atonement both to help those struggling and to help us act as he did. The power of connection with others and having people about us we can trust with our deepest concerns is not easy but vital.
A few more reunion pictures.
We've made good progress on the garage. Ben did a bunch of work while I was away.
Mia continues to busk when she can trying to earn money for our California trip.
Happy Canada day from afar!
Love you Sam.
From Sam - Not Always What I Want, Always What I Need
Hello everyone!
This week was a week that I will remember. I have been able to get my area and my district in tip top shape. Then, just when I had everything planned out for everything to work well I got a call from my mission president telling me that I'm getting transferred back to Lusaka. I had 4+ baptisms set and I'm sad that I am going to miss them. But I am going to where God needs me to be. I have an amazing companion. His name is Elder Okolo from Nigeria. He's very smart and we are working in amazing unity and I've only been here for 4 days. We are working together as zone leaders and there is a lot of work to be done.
My new ward is called Matero ward. Yesterday's church service was an amazing service. Being the new missionary in the ward I went to bear my testimony. I was praying so hard the I was going to be guided by the spirit and that the members could hear/feel from my testimony that I am here to work hard and that I love the gospel. I went and gave my testimony. I didn't give a storymony, dreamony, encouragemony or counselmony. I did my best to testify of the truths I know to be true. I gave them my testimony. After the sacrament meeting I had so many people come up to me and thank me for my testimony. In this way my prayer was answered. Other notes I took from one of the speakers were: "If our faith doesn't change the way you live then your faith is vain", "When God says "Not yet" it doesn't mean he's saying "Never".", " You cannot please God without offending Satan." and "Agency is the power to become". I'm very excited to be in my new area and to see what kind of blessing I can be
Before coming to my area I felt like I was going to be trasferred. I was thinking that if I go to "This" area I can get a lot of work done and be very effective. But I didn't get what I wanted. God said "I need you over here" and that's what I needed. One nice thing is I'm back to the place where they speak Nyanja which is close to Chewa. I can now use all the knowledge and words I got from Malawi to the fullest.
Next to the internet cafe there is a shop owned by Muslims, They actually own the internet cafe as well. The one running the shop is a girl named Fatima. She knows missionaries very well and just before coming here, while waiting for power to come on, I spent time in the shop and got to know her and her brothers and father. She's lots of fun, she didn't believe that I was 20 years old at first, she guessed 15 or 16. I had to show her my license to convince her of my age. She is from Samaria and she loves Canada. She showed me that Canada day and Samaria day are on the same day July 1st. Happy Canada/Samaria Day!!! That family is lots of fun.I will send pictures next week of my companion and Fatima.
This is my mission so far. As many as believe that this is easy, your wrong, this is one of the hardest things I have done in my life. But I am seeing that every minute is worth it. God is making me someone I could never make of myself.
I love you all
-Elder Smith
Pictures:
-Football after emailing
-Spur Monday
-Last night in the Copperbelt so we got pizza
-Night lesson with my recent convert Reuben
-Haircuts
-Farewell pictures with Reuben
-Farewell pictures with Elder Kane
-Pictures of the farewell to the Kupu's (I met lots of missionaries who I knew before)
-Scare Cam
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