07/13/09 Letter From Today!

This week has been really great; we have been doing a lot of stuff to prepare for the Baptism of Sylvie. Everything went great; she was the happiest person on earth. All the members kept saying she has really changed for the better, since the first time that we met her. It is true, the gospel is changing her life. That’s one of the greatest things that we have the opportunity to witness as missionaries, is seeing the Gospel change people. She keeps telling Elder Lepretre and I to go to her country and preach the gospel. Her country is one of those areas where missionaries can’t go. So, remember the council of President Thomas Monson, to pray for those places to be opened.

One thing I have really realized, having these two baptisms, is that I have so much changing to do myself; I can not stop in my progression. I need to make changes and do some repenting. I love the Gospel because we can always become better, and be a little bit more obedient. When we are obedient we are changing our will to the fathers.

One thing that really is helping me to reach what I want is setting goals and working little by little to get them or attain the goal. Another thing that I am really trying to work on, is not looking at the faults of people. I read a talk from 1999; it was titled Martin Harris. He said, I don’t like the way members view Martin Harris, he did many great things, like mortgage his house to pay for the printing of 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon. He was chosen to be one of the 3 witnesses to the Gold plates. He was a well respected man in the community, and a man of his word. He gave 50 dollars to Joseph Smith so that he could move and many many good things. But this man, Martin Harris, is remembered for a couple slips/mistakes that he made, like losing the Manuscripts, losing trust in Joseph smith, he released from the High Counsel and then was excommunicated. This was a great man that repented for those things, and was later re-baptized and never said that the church was false.

So, the goal I made was, every time I see someone, and have a desire to make fun of them, I will look for the good thing, And also, those that have done bad in the past, remember their good qualities over the bad.

Well I better get going, I love you all. I hope you have a fantastic week.

Love Elder Schmidt