Hello-

my heart is so full today. I just feel blessed to be surrounded by people that love me. Today we went to the temple for the last time on the mission for me. It was a bittersweet experience for me. I have come to love the mesa temple and spent many wonderful moments in its walls. A bunch of us sisters went...most of the ones who are going home with me. I was sitting in the celestial room just thinking about my mission and i just realized how much i love the other missionaries. Especially my sisters from the VC. I really feel as if they are my sisters and i am going to miss them so very much! I have to admit i have become quite the crier here...its ridiculous. But as i was crying there with another sister...i just thought you know what this is what the gospel is all about. I can see them again! We can all be together in the celestial kingdom together and have that great joy again.
I love this gospel...it is so perfect. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father because today i got an email from the Health Center...I HAVE A JOB!!! i dont have to worry because the Lord has provided the way and im so grateful. I love all of you so much and im so grateful for your support.
Last week we had zone conference, which as always, was AWESOME!! that means i had to bear my testimony in front of everyone because it was my last zone conference. I cried...but it was a good cry...half sad half grateful/happy. This week will be my last interviews with pres. Bassett...im not sure im ready for it. It seems all my last things make me cry. We found as few new people this week.
Oh the best news is...EVELYN WILL BE BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!! im so excited can you tell? She passed her interview and she is ready to go. I love baptisms and so grateful i will have one more. Please keep her in you prayers this week. Yesterday we found an amazing lady named araceli. She had all these questions of the soul. There is some people you run into and they are just prepared...it seems to be the case with her. Im excited to see what will happen.
Can you believe it the other day here it was 94 degrees??? while most of you are freezing im dying of a heat stroke...my body is going to freak out with the temp change ( mom bring me a coat to the airport) anyways.
I just want you all to know that i love you! Please keep me in your prayers this week...i need all the strength i can get.
Have a great week...i look forward to hearing from you next week.

Hermana Brittany Smith

HOLA!!

Hola!!

well as you all know the time is flying here in mesa and i cant even believe it. The thing i really cant believe is that it is 90+ degrees today and saturday it was 104...that is ridiculous.
It was an interesting week...not too much success in the area and i think satan is working really hard because the week before was incredible. But no worries we are working hard and being obedient, the Lord will bless us. I had a really neat experience this week. A convert from my first area came in for some information. While i was searching for the info she told me something that really touched me. She said that i was the first sister missionary that talked to her in the VC. I was in the back of the VC explaining to her about the Book of Mormon. She said that when i was teaching her about it she had great desires to know about this book. She said the spirit was so strong and later when the missionaries came she commited to baptism. She has now been a member for almost a year and will be preparing to enter the temple. My eyes filled with tears as she told me because many times i wonder “ have i touched people's hearts? Have i done what i needed to do?” i never knew before that i was part of her conversion process and im so grateful she shared that with me. It just shows me that we have a greater influence on people then we can ever really know. So we need to share our testimonies with people and let them know about this message because we never know who is going to accept.
I actually had to speak on sunday and that is exactly what i spoke about. I hope that you are all having a great week.
Please be sure to email me...i will be home november 17th but will still have access to this email for a month after. Please feel free to write me.
I love you all!!!

Hermana Brittany Smith

Note from MOM....

Hello all.... I am in the process of trying to get things squared away for when Brittany arrives back home. In the process I have been slacking in getting all of her emails posted on time and I apologize for that.. They are all posted and up to date as of right this minute....
Again, I am sorry for the lull in the postings.... I am just so befuddled when I think that she is coming home in just about 6 WEEKS!!!

Stay tuned for further homecoming updates!

Thank you all for your love and support :0)
Mom

Hey everyone!!

well you're probably DYING to know what is happening with my last transfer...ok maybe transfers are only exciting to me but drum roll......i am TRAINING....again for my last transfer. They are dividing my area and sister guzman will receive a new companion, sister mcbride. She's been out only 2 transfer so its gonna be interesting. The Lord has confidence in them so i do too. Sister decker will be heading to a full-field area and will actually finish her mission full-field. Thats so crazy because well i got 1 transfer full-field and she gets 3...im not jealous. The Lord needs me in the VC to help train these new sisters. There are 5 coming in tomorrow...4 are spanish and 3 are native speakers. Im nervous but not as nervous as last time. I kind of know what to expect and chances are ill get a native speaker again which will mean my spanish can improve.
Also big news..i will be on bike again. Yep i started on bike and ill finish on bike. Though president said that we may be getting a car in a few weeks. I personally love bike so im excited. This week was way too fast. General conference was amazing!!! i will have to read the talks again because actually i didnt get to pay as close attention as usual because i helped with investigators kids and also was watching in spanish so it was hard to understand everything if i wasnt completely focused. But i loved elder scott's talk on the spirit..that was so amazing!! i need to look over my notes again. But it was so great to hear the leaders of the church and feel the power that comes from their words. I hope we can all apply them in our lives.
We had a few miracles this week. We street contacted this lady from colombia the other night and she really didnt have much time so we gave her a VC card so she could go visit there. Well the next day she called and invited us over to teach her...she also came to general conference on sunday. AWESOME!! then on sunday afternoon this family who the night before we had invited to see conference walked in...that was incredible.
I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father to allow me to do His great work. It is a blessing everyday of my life. I hope that you all have a great week.
Remember i love you!!

Hermana Brittany Smith

Hola hola hola hola we welcome you today....

ok so i saw the primary program on sunday and it reminded me of the song this morning. It was SOOOO cute!!! you know there is always the littlest kids on the front and i think they do it for a reason...they keep a way entertained. One kid was in the front row making faces the whole time and another was not singing and his mom happened to be sitting in front of us and she was mouthing to him “SING” he really didnt understand what she was saying and was just making faces like “WHAT?” oh my goodness. The program was so beautiful and i felt the spirit so strong. It really helped me to remember that i am so blessed to have an eternal family. I actually got teary during the program...my investigator was probably thinking what is going on with this crazy lady....but it was so touching.
Its been a crazy week. Sister decker had to spend part of it with another sister because her comp had her gallbladder removed. So it was just me and sister guzman for one whole day. It went really well actually. She is a really good missionary i just think she relies on us too much. On friday we actually had exchanges and i left the area leaving sister guzman to run it by herself...i think she was really nervous but she did really well. Thats what happens...you think you dont know how to do something and when you have to do it you realize you can.
As for my investigators this week...well some are doing better then others. Juan is still drinking his life away and i really dont know what to do. He just really has to want to change. I cant believe that it is week 6....saturday not only will we get to see general conference this weekend but we will find out about transfers on saturday.
I hope that you are all doing great! I love you all and expect to hear from you all soon.

Hermana smith
ps- enjoy general conference...i expect to hear about your favorite talk next week:)

Hola!!!

i must be getting to the end of my mission because EVERYONE....decided to write me this week. Im not complaining in fact its great but i just think its funny. I love you all!
Well its been another crazy week. Im always surprised when p-day comes around because it just seems like we had it. We had interviews this week. President talked to me a lot about the VC...i guess its something he's worried about just like me. We are just trying to help the sisters feel confident and be the best missionaries they can be. I need to remember what it was like to be new again...it seems like yesterday but at the same time forever ago.
It looks like i will probably be training my last transfer out...im nervous but i know what to expect. We will know for sure in 2 weeks. My investigators are doing ok. Berta came to church on sunday after we pretty much told her if she didnt go we couldnt teach her. We also had a lady named evelyn go...she is SOOOO GOOD!!! she loved the spirit that was at church and is looking forward to going back. She will probably even go to the relief society activity tonight. We are really trying to help her see that she is prepared for a baptismal date. Juan well he has kind of taken a nose dive...it makes me sad. We found him again drinking and then he didnt go to church on sunday. I think he was drinking with his buddies. He says he wasnt.
Until you come on a mission you dont realize how many problems people have. You wouldnt think you could love a perfect stranger so much but these people become like children really. We are guiding them to make important steps and when they don't do what they are suppose to its devastating. But overall i am doing great! I love being a missionary so much. I get teary thinking about leaving it and im afraid ill be a wreck this next 6 weeks but we will make it through.
I love hearing from you all. Remember i love you and have a great week.

Hermana Smith

Hello!!!

well can you believe it we are half way through september...crazy!!! everyone is back in school now and that makes me realize how long i have actually been a missionary. The weirdest thing is you see babies come into the VC like right after they're born and then you see them running around like crazy...or people getting married and then next thing you know they are in the VC pregnant...weird.
Well life is good. We had a bit of a slump this week...it was a difficult week but that just means some miracle is about to happen. We are really trying to get juan back on track. He really wants to change but addictions are hard to break. So we are going to see him as much as possible to give him the support he needs as well as get more members involved. I hope that you all take opportunities to help the missionaries out. When you do just think that someone else in arizona is helping me. I know that can be hard because well some of you are in rexburg...im still trying to figure out how i'll be a missionary when im at school because its 99% LDS...but i know there is a way. In fact i got a member referral for someone in rexburg and guess what he accepted missionaries...SO COOL! Yes ill probably look him up when i get to school and see what happened...a little creepy but really really neat.
We haven't really had any break throughs this week...i guess people are hiding from the gospel. But we are going to find them. I feel the weight of the time for sure. I know that i only have a limited time to do the work i have to do and so it motivates me to do better. I am working on correcting little things so that i can be more and more obedient. I know that through obedience comes the blessings.
The weather is still scorching hot...though the mornings are really really nice. In a month they will start preparing for christmas lights...i cant believe it. That means we will be doing a lot of training at the VC...we have so many new sisters and the burkes are a little worried...but they will have to step up to the plate and take charge because we wont be there the help them.
I must be stressing about the VC because in the last week i have had 2 dreams about the VC...i cant rest!!! awwww. The Lord is blessing me so much because i am learning who i am and how to apply the gospel to my life. It will forever bless my family.
I love you all so much!! have the best week ever and feel free to send goodies and letters my way!

Hermana Brittany Smith