Picture Day!!

We recieved a letter and pictures today... Here they are! ENJOY!

Hey family, I hope you enjoy these pictures. I have many more, I will send a cd full of them home soon. I love you all so very much. I have the best parents, Mom and Dad. I have the best brother, Vic. The three best sisters ever Ashlee, Brittany and Lindsay. Thank you all so much for everything. Things here are going good we are going to invite a couple to be baptized soon. I went to their wedding my first day here and we were witnesses., camera men, and we sang a hymn. Yeah... professionals! I am so thankful for this gospel. I know it's true every word. I seriously feel like I am the luckiest person alive, to think I have the best family! I was wondering if someone would make me a little recipe book of quick simple dishes to make! I would really appreciate it. Remember to read your book of mormon and it will bless you. LoveElder Schmidt



This totally looks like a post card doesn't it! Yup...I got a Nicon Camera. I love to take my photographs Ha ha Just a bridge next to the apartment.
This is the dirt stare street cause everyone just drinks their tea and give us a dirt stare. Every once in a while you will hear someone yell...Mormon. I love walking down this street.
This is another postcard picture. I love it! It's very beautiful here in Frigourge
Me and Elder O'Rourke. I like this picture. We took this on our picture p-day
Little Ville in the hills of Switzerland on our way to the cheese factory

This is the Saint Nicholas Cathedral; right next to our apartment

07/28/08 New P-Day!!!

Bronson's new P-day is on Mondays now instead of Wednesday. Here is the email Bronson sent!!

Hey everyone, how are things in America… I bet really free… huh ha! ha! Believe it or not, that joke was kinda funny to me. Things in Fribourg are going well but this week, was so very hard. We would plan for something, and it would go completely opposite. We had so many tomber vous, that means someone missed rendezvous, or no shows. It’s hard because we take time to prepare specifically for the person, and they just shine us like our time doesn’t matter. All the amis we had, that we felt where strong, are dropping like flies. This week has been so so hard.

I have been looking in the Book of Mormon for answers, to what I can do better. I have found many answers. I need to be like the sons of Mosiah. When I read about them, I substitute the word Lamanite for Swiss. I know that might be harsh; I just do it to the ones that apply. Like they lay hold upon their riches, and they are a hardened people. Yet the sons of Mosiah desired that they should know this message, they couldn’t bear the thought of having someone being cast off. It did not come without a price, they suffered many afflictions and pains; fatigue hunger and spiritual pains. But they always fasted and prayed that they might receive a portion of the spirit to teach. I can do better at that end of it. I swear nothing is as bad as having someone you feel like is getting it, just say I really don’t want to know. It’s like what …... you don’t want to know why you chose to come here. I have to rely on my Heavenly Father to help me more. I myself cannot convert anyone, only the spirit.

On another note, I took directions from a guy the other day and got to where we needed to go… pretty cool. I still have much practice with the French language. Oh I wanted to encourage all who have temple recommends, to go to the temple. I miss it so much, I know that it will bless you, you have an opportunity to move the work forward.

I had the opportunity to play ping pong yesterday. The two things they have everywhere here, is football fields and ping pong tables. We walked up this little tiny ally (that we could barely fit in), and there was this little opening with a ping pong table… it made me laugh.

What else has been going on here, we have to go shopping today. Have I told you about the shopping carts? The back wheels swivel too, its so annoying, its impossible to turn the cart. I thought I would share that with you.

That is so cool that you got a fire pit. That made me smile to just imagine it. I swear, where did I hear this saying: the lord has to bring us down to lift us higher. I swear that’s so true.

Have you gone boating this year, I hope you have. I swear everyday we have a warm day here, I am like…. this is boating weather. I am curious to see what the new zone looks like ha ha. Hopefully they are cool.

Did Elder Williams call you guys? He is going back home and he said he would call and say hi for me. Well my time is up. I better get going. I love you all so very much.

The church is true, I know it.
Love
Elder Schmidt

07/23/08 Writing Home

Family,
Hey, how are you all doing! I hope things are going great back home. I seriously hate these computers, they aren't very good. Well, this week has been great! I had the opportunity to give my first blessing the other day; it was amazing. I was so scared; I didn't know what to say. When I started the words where, just there. I wrote this big long e mail, but then I think it got erased. I should have just sent it, but what can you do. So even though this might be short, I at least had the time this week to write, it was just messed up. I didn't get to write last week because I only had 10 min. So transfers where yesterday, and everyone in the zone got transferred, except me and my comp. Its ok though, cause I feel like I just barley got here. I really want to commit this couple to be baptized and I have to be here, to do that. I might get to play tennis today with a less active; that would be awesome. I guess we will see. If not then next week. I swear missions make you appreciate home more and family more. I cant wait until I can write again next week; it will be longer than this, I promise. Thanks for all your prayers.
Love you Elder Schmidt

(This is Fivel who obviously hasn't gone west... YUCK)

Pictures in Switzerland

I found a few pictures of the Fribourg Switzerland area that Bronson is serving in. I thought I would post a few of the pictures so everyone would have an idea of where he is living!!

07/09/08** Updates from Switzerland

Hey how is everything going back home? It's going good here. We had exchanges this week with the Yverdone Elders. I was put with Elder Williams, he is so cool. We got so much work done in one day you wouldn't believe it. He was totally normal like me and he only has two more weeks left. Well today we are going to go and check out some cheese factory it should be pretty cool. Oh did I mention I got us every where we needed to go yesterday ha ha. We have nearly stopped the mice problem we filled the holes with that foam stuff, hopefully that holdes them off for a while at least until I leave I hate those nasty things. Elder O'Rourke said to me you're the cleanest Elder I have ever met... yeah mom you heard it. I have learned to hate messes. I can't think if it's dirty. Lets see what else has happend this week... Oh yeah i spent my fourth of July teaching little Swiss kids the National Anthem in English it was awesome. We started the day of with the pledge of aligence and then sang the star spangled banner ha ha. One of the members put out an american flag for us hanging out his window. Oh and we mowed a lawn. I swear you can't see how well we live there until you have to live somewhere else like here where there are alot of immigrants that work so hard to make a living and then they invite you in and offer us stuff that they don't even have, I love these people. We made rice crispy treats for everyone because they are not even known here its cool. Well I best be going. I love you all.
Elder Schmidt

07/02/08 Emailing Home!

Hey Everyone.
How are things going back home? Things are going great. We took this P-day as a day to celebrate our freedon with the exception of Elder Turner, he is from London ha ha. We started it of by meeting in Newchatel and getting a game of American football going it was glorious, + we had old glory laying out on the grass AKA American flag blanket ha ha. We ended it of by having hotdogs it was awesome... I was quarter back most of the game and we did good. I passed a good week and it was fast. So I looked at those pics Ash sent me and Paisley is so dang cute and Gavin looks awesome as usual. Looks like you got to break the 5th wheel in I hope. So here is my miracle for the week. I had to take a trip to Anncy for my legality trip. it's in France too. It was a long train ride. and we ended up missing a couple buses, it was turning out to be a rough day. Oh and that day we where doing a mission fast or I should say it ended that day. So we where pretty hungry. Everything went extremely smooth and I actually got my legal certificate thing that day. We went to this little super marchete and bought a ton of junk food we went to the gar and waited for the train and we decided to sit down on some steps and we totally stuffed our faced. One french man called un rich pigs in french. Of course we offered him some food that made him more mad. Then this man walked passed me and so I was like bonjour cava and he turned and said cava mercy then he was struggling to find the words to say in french mind you my comp is still pounding food down and is noticing I'm talking. Then I asked the guy do you speak english and he said yes I was like yes ha ha, then he said I have to catch a train I am going back home but I will be back for my studies and I want to hear what you have to say. Both me and Elder O'Rourke gave him this look like what just happened.... did some one just ask to see us and hear our message ( the church of jesus christ) normally we are the ones asking.. Then we scrabled to get his name and number, he then had to leave really quick we shook his hand and he ran off. It hit us that everything that went wrong like us missing our buses and running way late was so that we would be on those stairs when that guy (Penny) walked down the stairs. It says in preach my gospel that God will place people in our way and that was confirmed to me after this experiance. This is so cool because this never happens here. What else has been going on. Oh the launguage is getting slowly better I can comprendre much better. I can't expect to become fluent over night, but every day I work on it. Some people whose doors we knock on say you have a lot of courage, and it makes me feel better. Well I love you all very much I will write you later.
I love you.
ELDER SCHMIDT.

Leave comments if you'd like!!!

Feel free to leave a comment for Bronson. I'm sure at some point he will be able to look on the website and see what you have written!! This will be up for him when he gets home too so he will be able to see what people have written to him. Again thanks for your support and prayers for Bronson.