04/27/2009 + Pictures!!!

Everyone
Things have been great this week! I have learned how important it is to have Charity when in the service of God; and I’m not talking about helping some one with their bags or holding a door open. I am talking about having that pure love of Christ, for those around us, all the time. When we have this love we will desire the salvation of others, but it doesn’t just come because we want it, it is a Gift we have to pray for.
I guess you could say that I had to learn this the hard way.

When I started this past transfer off, we didn’t have anyone to teach, and that really made it hard for me. The only thing that we could do is contact and port and start from scratch. I was running out of hope, and faith, since not one person would listen long enough to get a number. So, I took it upon myself to study charity, and faith, and hope, and as I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenants, I came across a verse that said if we desire to assist in the work of the Lord, we need to have faith hope and charity. I realized that I was not assisting in the work because I did not have charity or pure love for these people. So, I said a prayer, asking for this gift and really wanting to find someone to teach, and let’s just say that through the next couple of days people stopped and listened. Some just gave their numbers; one lady said I want you to come teach my children, because this is more important than "worldly things". The Lord really did help me learn this lesson.


I would encourage you all to ask for the Gift of charity, every night when you pray, cause without it we are nothing! "The degree of our love for the Lord, for the Gospel, and for our fellow man can be measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for them" M Russell Ballard. I really liked that quote!

Things have been going great and I am looking forward to this last year of my mission; it’s going to be great! Here is another quote that a really liked “How difficult it must be for Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, to see so many needlessly suffer because his Gift of repentance was ignored. It must pain him deeply to see the pointless agony both in this life, and beyond the veil, that accompany the unrepentant sinner. After all he did, so that we would not suffer. Richard G Scott.

I really am so thankful for the gift of repentance and the Miracle that forgiveness is for us, cause it is through this gift that we can become perfect and return home to God our Father. I love you all and I am so thankful for all that you do for me!!


Elder Schmidt

Sending a letter

Thank you for your prayers and support. Just in case you want to write....Bronson's address is:

Elder Schmidt
5 Ave DeMiremont
CH-1206 Geneve
Switzerland

It cost 0.94 to send a letter!! And he LOVES THEM!!

04/21/09 I love the Gospel its Wonderful!!

Everyone,
How are you all doing? I hope all is going well. I was sad to hear about Monique’s child, I will be sure to keep them in my prayers. I am glad to hear that everything is fine with baby Bronson. I looked up the meaning of Bronson and I found “Fierce Strong One”, so I’m sure he is fierce and strong :) The other definition that I found was “Brown Mans Son”, and I don’t know about that… ha ha.

So, in other news… everything has been going great here! My Companion Elder Laws and I have been really trying to find someone to teach. We found a lady at the door that said, "Sorry I am going through a really hard time right now, my father just passed away". We quickly bore testimony that we can be with our families forever, and that she could see her father again, thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ. She then said to us, “I am really busy for the next five days, but I would like you both to come back". We left her a plan of salvation brochure. Hopefully we will be able to share with this young daughter of God, how she can eventually return home with him, and have an opportunity to be with her father again. It was really nice to see how her attitude changed, when we shared this with her.

We had the opportunity this week to teach a Portuguese couple, and they really loved the idea of being able to be together forever. She had read from the book of Mormon, and he had checked out the sited from the church. I am just hoping that they will have a voice whisper to them that they need more then what they already have.

The other companionship had a baptism yesterday, and it was someone that I had the opportunity to teach, when I was in that companionship. It was really nice, after the whole thing she (Ridenise) thanked me for all the help I had given her. I was thinking to myself, thank you for searching for the truth. She met the church through a less active member, imagine that. She said a prayer during class, and she said this during the prayer “I want you to know that I made this choice to be baptized by my own will, even when my family didn’t want me too, because I know its right". It was a very sincere prayer, and now we have a new member in the church, and another lost sheep found!!!

I am so very thankful to be a missionary. I have the opportunity to help my brothers and sisters find the path that leads back home. The more time I spend out here, I think I am beginning to realize better the reason we are here. It is to become like our father, and not let anything stop us from doing that. We have the responsibility to help those around us do the same thing.

I am so excited for the second year that I have left to do my best. I am now reading the Miracle of Forgiveness, and let me tell you all if you haven’t read that book, read it now. I have almost finished it in two weeks so no excuses ;) ha ha It has really helped me understand repentance more clearly, and also realize some things that I need to change.

OK, Well I better get going. I just want you all to know that I love you, and that I know that this church is true. I am thankful for everyday that I wear this name on my plaque and also the name of Jesus Christ. I love the gospel, its wonderful!

Love
Elder Schmidt

04/14/09 Easter

Hey Everyone,
I hope that you all had a fantastic Easter Sunday, I know I did. I had the opportunity to do a lot of finding, and trying to invite people to listen to a message about the Savior Jesus Christ. It was pretty interesting, because we tried to focus on just talking about Christ, thinking that this would be a wonderful time to share this type of message, but we couldn’t get one person to stop and talk to us. We even had someone say no thanks; I’m catholic; which made little sense… but whatever.

We decided to do some door to door, with the objective to show the film “Finding Faith in Christ”. We thought that maybe someone would want a nice message on Easter, but no one would accept us. We even had one lady say to us “why are you disrupting everyone on Easter”, I said to her “it is not a bad thing that we are doing. We are trying to share a message about Christ"; she slammed the door right after that. What was going through my head was "did you not know that the reason you have work off is because of Christ".

Soon, we had a family invite us in, and then the husband walked in behind us, and kicked us out as his 10 year old kid was begging that we stay. Personally I think he should have listened to his kid! It was a great learning experience and I felt very sorry for these people that feel that there is nothing more that they can have. My companion put it perfect, he said, “how can they think that they have the whole truth, if they did, they wouldn’t be so sad and angry all the time" I thought that’s true.

Pray for those who don’t know the gospel, they need our prayers. Pray for those that won’t accept our message, they need them too. Sorry this isn’t too long; just know that I love you all, and that things are going great! Tell Ty thanks for the letter; that was very nice of him. Search for ways to share the Gospel…ok? Great happiness comes from it.

Love

Elder Schmidt!

04/06/09 I'm grateful

Hey Everyone,

I hope that everything is going great back home. I imagine that conference went very well, since I know that it did for me; it was just what I needed.

Being senior companion is a lot of responsibility; I had no idea. Instead of being able to say “we will do what ever you think is best, you’re the senior companion”. Now I have someone telling me that same thing. But all in all, it’s pretty good, I’m learning a lot. This past week we have been doing a lot of inviting; inviting people to conference. They made papers that we where supposed to hand out, and assigned us a place to pass them out. The zone leaders where like… this is going to be so much fun! My companion and I were like…maybe it will be. So we tried it and it was very difficult. I handed out like ten and my companion Elder Laws, came up and said, “I haven’t given one out yet; what are you doing”? I said, just saying “I am here to invite you to hear the word of God, through his prophets and apostles; I hope to see you there”. Followed by, “I know that God has called a prophet to help us”. Some people took them, I even went out into the grass to talk to a couple groups of people, and invited them to come. I walked off and I think I heard one of them call me “Satan”. Don’t worry, it made me laugh. Elder Laws kept saying, “This isn’t fun at all”. It was a good experience in the end.

We are basically starting off with nothing in our Equipe, no Amis, no reliable formers, and the area book we have is filled with Spanish speakers, so we are back to finding full time. On the other hand, I can do a contact in Spanish now, and I have received a couple numbers for the other elders when knocking doors.

We had one person let us in this week that we tried to teach but I think the Lord was just testing us with him; he was someone who liked to argue.

I think every time that I watch conference it makes me miss home a bit, cause I see down town, and places I have been. I love just being able to sit their, and just learn, I love it; they say nothing but truths. Thanks for writing me Mom, and I love a good e-mail.

What else has happened this week... not too much really, just a lot of walking around, trying to find the ones that the lord has prepared. I’m sure that we will find someone to teach this week. I am so grateful for you all, and I love you all so much; your in my prayers.

Love Elder Schmidt