Mailing Address:

Sister Macey Smith

45-345 Mealele St.

Kaneohe, HI 96744

Aloha All,

This week has been good to me. Some funny and awkward moments: trying to dodge aloha kisses from these yummy people, “sorry Brother, I’m like super consecrated!  Just shake my hand!” Or laughing at myself, in my PJ’s, on the grass mat attempting “Ab Ripper X from Insanity” – the only exercise dvd we have in the apartment.  Also lots of moments to ponder and read as it has been POURING here. We just got new elders in the zone and it's fun to meet them. We have been tracting a lot this week and are getting prepared for General Conference (seriously SO excited) and the ward is a blessing! 

I read a great talk from last conference called "The Music of the Gospel" and it talks about how we all know the dance steps of church, but do we hear the music of the gospel? Do we have a reason to dance? and if not, let us. (I hear “lets dance” In Kevin Bacon's voice. hehe).  Let us do everything to hear that music in our lives. Because that is the reason we started dancing in the first place.

Man, teaching brings out the best and worst in me.  This week we were teaching an 11 year old girl in a part member family (3 generations live together).  As we stated to teach about the Plan of Salvation, several of the adults (6) started asking about all kinds of fringe topics; women in the priesthood, the law of consecration and why the church is so Eurocentric (centered on Europe and Europeans).  It was heavy and seemed like we were being attacked from every side.   Sister Soriao had a lot of grace.  I was silently praying that we could figure out how to bring the Spirit and calm the room.  After an hour and a half of HOT MESS, the girls grandfather spoke these simple works, "have a little faith.  You don't need to know everything, you need to know enough."  Things settled, and though our lesson was simple, I feel that it was strong.

Sometimes, some days it’s hard to represent the Church.  Gods ways are unchanging and the world is just the opposite.  But to bear the name of Jesus Christ is teaching me so much.  I want to be as steadfast and unchanging as the Lord needs me to be.  Being a missionary is allowing me to stare my doubts and fears down and decide what I will do to conquer them.

    

Our Mission President gave us a talk by Jeffery R. Holland called "The Atonement and missionary work" and he said:

      "Presidents, if the missionaries can come to love and appreciate it, the Atonement will carry them perhaps even more importantly than it will carry their investigators.  You let them know that when they struggle, when they are rejected, when they are spit upon, and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, they are standing shoulder to shoulder with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect missionary that ever lived.  They have every reason to stand tall and to be grateful that the Savior and Redeemer of the world knows all about their sorrows and their afflictions and that for a moment or two in their lives they will understand what He went through for them.  Welcome to the journey of the disciples of Christ."

I have seriously SO much to learn.  The natural man is the worst but I'm starting to exercise my testimony.  Exciting times!

I LOVE THIS WORK. I LOVE THIS PLACE. THESE PEOPLE ARE AMAZING AND TEACH ME SO MUCH.

Love,
Sister Smith 

Mailing Address:

Sister Macey Smith

45-345 Mealele St.

Kaneohe, HI 96744

This week has been amazing!

We took one of our investigators to the Visitors Center and the temple! He cried. It's such a great opportunity to see someone gaining and growing a testimony. The Lord reaches us on our own levels. He is planning on being baptized on October 10th! He's stopped drinking coffee. We are so proud and excited! 

We also did service around all these beautiful ginger flower, weeding and mowing. It's other worldly over here. Especially when you get out to the country. I love the red ginger flowers and the family who owns the garden made us lunch and sent us off with a bunch of flowers like last time! 

The district will loose Elder Jipus, which is a BIG loss. He is so dang funny and can eat a coconut faster than you'd believe. I'm going to miss trying to speak Tagalog with him! We will be getting a new elder in our district, so we're jazzed about that. A few changes in the zone (one of the Elders is going to Kihei!) and I guess the change is good. It's just weird to think that I won't serve with these people forever, but honestly they are like brothers! It's a really unifying experience and I think being able to relate to one another and push each other on is so helpful. At least to me!

Kaneohe is just like heaven. The sweetest and funniest family had us over for dinner last night and made Dinuguan (which is a Filipino dish. It's beef cooked in pork blood with vinegar. SO good.), Pinach Beet, and Ponset ****please check the spelling on these..... shootin in the dark**** and then jambalaya and pulled pork sandwiches for us! Can you believe that?! Just for us. So sweet. Sundays are like eating marathons.... I am trying to figure out how to pace myself. Being a missionary is this weird dance between "we are poor and have nothing but tuna fish and rice" for the first two meals of the day and then "wow. what a glorious feast." for the second half of the day... So still trying to figure that out.

We have been tracting more this week, as we are trying to focus on finding new people to teach. That's actually become one of my favorite things. Which I NEVER could have imagined. But it's kind of... fun. Yes, fun! Like "who's behind that door?!" (in a tv announcer voice) because you honestly NEVER know. Some lady in the 4th ward asked the Elders to give her cat (Scrapper) a priesthood blessing. Another lady invited us in thinking we were the Jehova's Witnesses and we got about half way through a lesson before she promptly asked us out! I am saving all the crazy stories but it's a great opportunity to be invited into these people's lives. When will I ever have that chance again? 

Most of all, I have been trying my best to become more and more lost in this work. It's not easy! But it is so worth it. I feel so good when I am doing exactly what I know I should and in the best way I know how. There is no replacement for that kind of work. The blessings that come from it can come from no other source. Every blessing is predicated on obedience. At a baptism this week, we sang "I Feel My Savior's Love" and I was so touched by the fourth verse. I am trying to offer Him my heart. My WHOLE heart and mind. And I know He will bless me. "In giving, I receive." 

I love you all SO much. I am so glad to hear from you. Keep it coming! Keep the work moving! Read the Book of Mormon every day.

Mahalo!

Sister Smith