September 29, 2015 Email

Hey Fam! It seems like you guys are crazy busy with everything in the letter. With work, sports, and the mission to get ready for; that would be very over bearing when it all comes at once. Give Parker my wishes that he will recover. My current companion got a concussion in his last area. Since that, he has to be cautious about the activities we do. 

This week was pretty good for us. We have been working on some lists that the ward and branch gave us. We have been working with less-active members most of the time since the area has come to a near halt with investigators. It's not fun, but they choose not to have a desire to change or make those commitments. As we all know, you can't change someone that refuses to allow it. The district meetings, I hear, seem to be good with the few we have had. It's definitely weird being on the other end of the stick when I came to meetings, but it's good for me. It gets me even more out of my comfort zone. 

This weekend is General Conference and I am pumped. As members were bearing testimonies on it Sunday; I had the thought occur to me, this is my last General Conference in the mission field. It made me wonder, "What all is to happen this Conference and what can I learn more of?" I hope whatever is in store is very meaningful to me and to others. 

Topics from the October 2015 General Conference:

activation                                            addiction                                             adversity (9)

agency                                                 Apostle                                                Atonement (8)

Book of Mormon                                charity                                                 children (2)

Church callings (3)                              Church leaders (3)                               Church meetings

Church membership                            Church organization (2)                      commandments (3)

compassion                                          conversion (7)                                     councils

courage (3)                                          covenants (2)                                       dating

death (2)                                              disabilities                                           discipleship (3)

divine nature (6)                                  education (2)                                       example (2)

faith (9)                                               family (5)                                            fasting

financial management (2)                    friendship                                            grace

healing (2)                                           Heavenly Father                                  Holy Ghost (8)

hope                                                    humility                                               Jesus Christ (16)

Joseph Smith                                       joy (3)                                                  kingdom of God

light                                                     love (5)                                                marriage (2)

missionary work (2)                            morality (2)                                         motherhood

obedience (6)                                      parenthood                                          patience

plan of salvation (8)                            prayer (2)                                             priesthood (3)

profanity                                             prophets (6)                                         repentance (6)

revelation (3)                                       righteousness                                       Sabbath (5)

sacrament (5)                                       safety                                                  scripture study

scriptures (3)                                       self-control                                          service (5)

spirituality                                           standards                                             temptation

testimony (3)                                       trust                                                     truth (4)

women                                                worthiness (2)                                     young adults

The mission has been a struggle; but it has changed and blessed me in ways that I could not have imagined in my entire life. I am so proud that Stockton is deciding to serve. It makes me wonder how the Lord can bless him as he serves with honor and diligence. 

P-Day yesterday was awesome and fun. We had to plan the activities and we did a reincarnation of Zombies. We had some good responses and some complaining, but the complaining usually just came from one or two people so it wasn't terrible. 

Well, that's all I've got for ya this week. Hope you all have a great and easy week and I wish you the best!

Love

Elder Smith