What a Week, What a Week!

 October 6, 2014

Family and Friends,
        The Lord is hastening the work and is allowing us to receive guidance and love through our modern day prophet and his counselor's. General Conference is an essential tool given to us to be spiritually fed and uplifted. Through conference, I noticed that my heart was touched and my faith was increased. "The Gospel of Jesus Christ opens the path of what we will become," stated D. Todd Christofferson.  Once we align our will with the father's, we will notice His gospel change us, shape us, and feed us with spiritual guidance. I'd like to share one more quote. "The process of gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime," promised President Uchtdorf. May we all let the Light of Christ gleam brighter and brighter in our lives as we seek for that light, therefore "it can grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C:50).
    This week Elder Johnson and I were also pleased to hear that we will remain companions for at least six more weeks. Once we heard the wonderful news, we both jumped up and hugged in excitement (hitting our heads together). It was well worth the pain we endured. Serving in the small town of Warden has served as a blessing to both him and I. We are excited for the people the Lord will continue to place in our path as we serve Him with diligence and obedience. We're also looking forward to the fun experiences too continue. In all honesty, were both pretty crazy and have an interesting sense of humor.
    Another fun experience we shared this week was teaching the seminary class for a couple of days. It brought me back to the good old days of waking up early and attempting to stay awake. However, it's a whole new perspective when you are teaching the class as opposed to simply listening.  I love teaching classes for the fact that I too learn so much from teaching the lessons. I absolutely love the youth in the ward as well which made teaching a lot of fun.
    As far as our investigators, they are all doing great thanks to all of your prayers. We had the opportunity to find another family this week that is prepared and ready to hear the gospel. We know that if they keep their commitments, they will see the happiness that comes from this church. What a blessing it is to apply the Doctrine of Christ in our lives and share it with others. Faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. So simple, yet so powerful.  Yesterday, we witnessed the baptism of one of our investigators, Michael. Watching him take this leap of faith and apply the Doctrine of Christ was heartwarming. I was privileged to perform the baptism. The overwhelming feeling of the spirit was incredible as him and I entered the waters of the font.  We asked afterwards how he felt and he replied, "Man, I feel the spirit."  Wow, such simple words impacted my heart so deeply. Utilizing the priesthood was a blessing beyond belief.  Thank you all so much for your sincere prayers.
    I love you all so much and hope your week in nothing less than fantastic.

Love Always,
Elder Smith