2/24/10 Work in Martingny is moving Forward

Family,

This week has been a fun one. The work here in Martingny is moving forward slowly but surely. Transfers are next week and I am really hoping that I have the opportunity to stay here and see some of those seeds that have been planted by past missionaries, and nurtured by others, finally be harvested. I think the more that the mission goes on the more I learn to love it. The reason that I want to stay here is because I would love to finish my mission serving members that I love, and a branch that I want to grow into a ward. The members are fantastic, there aren’t many, but if every ward was as strong as some of these members, I think that the membership would double. They just don’t stop, they all have multiple callings and they fulfill them without complaining. In a very real way they help carry each others burdens, it’s like a big family.

We have been working with Rosa Maria and we should find out if her and her husband will be eligible for marriage, if so it is just a matter of fixing a time and a date for her baptism.Tonight we will be going to teach Rolph Solice (a 9yr old) and that should be great too. I love teaching children they are so teachable, and humble. It should be a great Rendezvous.

Today for preparation day we where thinking " Hey we are like 2 or 3 miles away from the Matter Horn lets try to get close and get a picture of it" so that’s exactly what we are doing today, wish us luck!

I have a funny story about the car. So, we were on our way to a rendezvous and my companion Elder Tracy was driving. The GPS was on economical setting, which means the shortest route. It started to take us on these little country roads on the side of the mountain and there came a point where elder Tracy couldn’t drive any more because it was too steep for him. So, I got out and took the wheel. The roads where so narrow and in the end it took us to this little dirt road that was VERY steep so what do a try to do?!? You know me all to well; I tried to drive up it. It was going great at first but then it started to slide backwards (note:we are really close to a LITTLE cliff). I’m pretty sure when my little guy on my shoulder that’s supposed to tell you to not do that, saw that hill, he took off. So basically I stopped it before anything happened; so don’t worry mom, like I said a LITTLE cliff. Elder Tracy got behind it and I did the rocking motion and got it back out of the place. Long story short, my companion looked completely white due to dust hitting him, and we learned that GPS`s aren’t all they are cracked up to be ha ha. It was a good story though. All that was going through my head was Dad doing something much steeper in my Mazda on a father sons outing. My hat goes off to you DAD.

Well I wish you all a fantastic week!!!
Love Elder Schmidt

02/16/10

Schmidt Family,

Hey everyone, I hope all is well in America!!! We have had a great week here. Elder Tracy and I decided to make a sacrifice and buy a fondue set, so we can have it. Not so sure it was a good idea; we burned the apartment down:0( President isn’t really happy about it, we put it out before anything got too bad! Ha ha Just kidding.

We have had it the past three days and I will just let you imagine what happens when you have 400g of cheese get hard in your stomach; we didn’t really think it through, but it was really good!

So our mission President has told us to find someone that will be baptized, and we have two people in this area that WILL be baptized. It’s not if…but when. We are working with one of them to get them married and the other is a nine year old kid. We are excited to help them get a little bit closer to entering the waters. We are also working with a member from Genève, he wants us to teach a family. I am so excited, I love the members here they are fantastic. I also love the Swiss people they are great as well, and really good drivers might I add.

This weeks biggest break through is la famille Bagnoud; they have been turned off toward missionaries for a long time or rather the father of the family has. He doesn’t like how missionaries shove things down his throat. I can see why, we have some pretty extreme ones here. So Elder Tracy and I d did was make them banana bread and took it over, we just sat down and talked and had a good conversation with the wife. She figured out that we are not that other type of missionaries and she wants to have us over twice this week. We told her that we just want to come have a good time and share a thought that’s all. She was like but lets keep it low key, we were like ok. Our goal is to just get him to be more active in going to church and we want to do this by letting the spirit teach. Their family reminds me of ours, so I am excited to work with them.

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week

Love Elder Schmidt

02/03/10**

Famille Schmidt

Ok so how should i start this off? ... oh well me and my new companion Elder Tracy have been trying to tear it up here in Martigny and from what i can tell we are keeping the confidance of the members that me and Elder Whatcott established so that is good. He is from Georgia and is really cool and has a desire to do the lords work so that is good :)
This week has been pretty stressfull for me, normally how it goes is durring weekly planing we figure out what we are going to do and then i have to find out all the train times so that all of our rendez vous will line up and not overlap. but this week i slacked a little so what ended up happening was i was going off of memory what the train times where and i did ok. and at the same time i am trying to teach elder Tracy how to get around this place it is by far the hardest place in the mission to navigate, instead of one city you have like 20 all spread out up and the mountain sides. it is seriously everything that you every dreamed switzerland would be. cool little villages with a church in the middle, i love it its soooo beautifull.
this week we where able to see a couple investigator and they where really nice but our highest priority is a 9 year old boy of a member. we have to take a train 45 min and then walk 30 min to arrive at there building its crazy!!! but worth it.
Today i have the opportunity to go and play tennis :) i am so excited, i hope that i do good. we are going to be playing with Addie ... you know the sweet californian that does a ton of missionary work. i might have the opportunity to play one of her friends, apparently he is a Pro from india, so if i do ok against him i will feel ok. wish me luck.
Well i hope that you all have a fantastic week i love you.
Elder Schmidt

01/19/10

Schmidt Family

This week was transfer week so we have our preparation day on Tuesday just letting you know why I was writing today instead of tomorrow. As for transfers something was bound to happen this transfer seeing as me and Elder Whatcott have stayed three transfers together which is pretty rare. So Yesterday we received a call from President and Elder Whatcott is going to a city named Jex and I will be staying here in Martigny and receiving Elder Tracy, I am excited to receive him and I hope that we get along. but at the same time I am pretty sad to see Elder Whatcott leave, its like saying goodbye to a best friend but I guess this is the life of a missionary. I will Probably stay here for another six weeks and then head to my last ville to finish my mission.
This last week of the transfer has been fantastic, we have had the opportunity to see a lot of members. and it was especially sad because they knew that one of us would be leaving and they really liked our companionship. I hope me and elder Tracy will be able to pick it right up and keep the work moving forward.
We also spent much time helping the family Rivero move, they are from Colombia and didn’t have too much help. they are the part member family. we have been trying to get them back to church for the past month, maria the mother is one of our investigators and she was having a hard time going. so me and elder whatcott where talking and decided to go and help them as much as possible and the result from this was she promised to come to church from now on. it wasn’t necessarily the help we offered but the fact that we cared about them enough to help them. and that we wouldn’t accept any money. it was great to see them at church again!
We taught one of our investigators this week (Bao) and we had the goal of inviting him to be baptized. so we focused on the importance of the restoration, we watched the film and then after i asked him this question " if Christ was standing in the room at that moment and said this is my church would you want to join it?" he said well of course so then I said well lets find out if it is true. we all knelt down of the floor and we took turns saying the prayer, the spirit was so strong you could not deny that the things that had been shared where true. I asked do you feel anything special in your heart? he replied yes as well as when I was watching the film. he then express that he wants to become a member right now but his parents would not like that. he is 18 years old. then he said maybe when I am 20 or 21 I will be baptized. although we weren’t able to fix a specific date it was a great experience seeing the holy ghost touch the heart of one of his children. we will be working with him and searching for a way that he will be baptized sooner! I know that the lord will provide a way for him, as he has provided the way for us.
Well i love you all and hope that you have the best week ever. I write you next week:)

Love Elder Schmidt

THE DATE IS SET!!!

We have received the letter that tells us when Bronson is coming home!!!!

He will be coming home on April 15th.

I will give you more information when he hear more.

01/14/10

Hey Everyone,

This week has been great! It is the last and final week of the transfer which is pretty sad because President Murdock pretty much told us that we weren’t staying together another one. I’m ok with that because I was just happy that I could stay a third with Elder Whatcott; that in of its self was a miracle!

We have been working pretty hard this week. Right now I am in Lausanne, one of the bigger cities in Switzerland due to exchanges with the elders here. It has been great; last night I was with one of my former companions Elder laws, the one I served with in Geneva. It was so funny the first door that we knocked on was all in Spanish so we did the only thing that we know how to do which was get her number for the Spanish equipe. It was so funny because that was pretty much all we ever did in Geneva; just like old times again.

We also taught this man that was found by the sisters. We went over and it turns out he was raised as a member but was never baptized. So he was "not" a member, so we were just asking him questions and we said "what is the importance of Joseph Smith" and he pretty much explained to us the first lesson, including James 1:5 quoted. Then I went to show him Moroni’s promise. I picked up his tryptique ... (yeah he had one of those too), and as I arrived to the page I was like “Oh you already have it highlighted”. We read it and he said, “I already know that this book is true”. Then I said what is the importance of the restoration and he said " well there is a lot of confusion in the world and many churches that don’t have the whole truth, and its just nice knowing that we have the truth". I thought to my self "lets go find the nearest body of water and baptize you!!!" It was a really cool experience and I’m like 90% positive that he will be baptized. We fixed a rendez-vous for next week; it was a miracle!

I love being a missionary because we see things like this all the time. I remember being back home and just praying to have a missionary experience, but I guess it helps when this is all you do full time; you are bound to see miracles.

I love you all and I hope that you have a fantastic week. Keep working hard and trying to progress a little bit every day!

Love
Elder Schmidt

01/07/10

Schmidt Family

Hey everyone, this week has been a little bit slow to say the least. I started off by being sick, and then I passed it on to my companion Elder Whatcott. Soooooo long story short we stayed in the apartment the whole week and even got kicked out of church and told to go home. We are doing fine right now and ready to go back to work!

It has been hard staying in the apartment and just reading the Bible but I really am gaining a stronger testimony of the new testament. I have loved the example that Paul shows us, and how fearless we should be. How important it is to have the spirit with us at all times so that when we testify to people the spirit can take it to their hearts. I think all though we where sick we where made stronger in spirit so it was great!

Well, I love you all and hope you have a great week, sorry this is sooo short; I will be better at writing.

Love
Elder Schmidt!!!

12/31/09**

Schmidt Family,

Hey…this week has been great! I was sooooo excited to call you and to hear all of your vices. It’s too bad that I didn’t get to talk to Vic…but that’s ok, I will be home in a couple of months, then he can’t avoid me!!!!!;) ha ha I know he probably wanted to be there, but I don’t’ know the whole situation of what happened.

Christmas was wonderful; we spent the day with an English family up in the mountains. We had a White Christmas; it was great. To start the day off we opened up presents. It was shocking for me, how so many things fit it to a box like that. It was great! I loved every single thing that I received.

So much for my six months to sexy, the twins sent me my kryptonite-- that is to say Reese's, and I think they are going to go right to my thighs! oh well, I cant help it, I wake up in the morning and go to my desk get my Bible or my Book of Mormon out and start reading, then I get up and go to the restroom and look in the mirror and notice I have chocolate on my lips and that my fingertips smell like peanut butter. I think to myself "shoot I ate another one". That’s kinda what happened with those 20 mysterious ice cream bars that went missing.

This week hasn’t been the most effective time to do missionary work, but the member visits sure has picked up a lot. It’s been great and I have been full and almost to the point of waddling. Every night I have slept like a purring kitten, or I guess in our experience with animals, it’s like Yoda falling asleep with his face in his food….Yeah it was that good!

Well I don’t have too much more to add. I love you all and wish you all a Happy New Year!!!

Love Elder Schmidt

12/23/09

La Famille Schmidt


Ok im not going to take a ton of time writting today because i want to
have things to talke about. haha just know that the work has been going
great! and that we are being taken care this week. we are going to try
and call you around 6:00 pm here wich is like 10:00 ish chez vous at
your house. I am excited to hear everyones voices, i cant believe that
it has already been six months since the last call... time flies! well i
love you all and have a great christmas eve and a great christmas
morning!

Love Elder Schmidt

12/16/09**

La Famille Schmidt


ok this week has been really good! to start it off there is a part member family that we had the opportunity to visit, they haven’t been able to go to church for a couple of weeks now because they have been pretty sick. we went and where able to give them all blessings it was great. I am so thankful for every time I have to go and serve someone else using the priesthood which I hold, it was a great experience.
This week the member that we have been working very closely with (Addie) went home for Christmas. we went up for one last visit and it turned out to be a very crazy/fun night. she wanted to get us dinner and that’s just what she did there was this graduation thing at her school and she got us in! they where serving all sorts of things like sushi, steak, racklet, and a ton of other things it was fun, kind of reminded me of a cruise! and needless to say that was much better than the pasta we where going to make that night. it was kinda sad to see her go because she was such a Great member missionary! and a great friend, I love making friends on the mission!
Our ami Julio is doing really well we have had the opportunity to meet with him a couple of times this week and we taught him about following the prophet and studying the scriptures. for me the thing that hit me the most during our rendezvous was I really had a strong feeling that i was teaching with authority, I don’t know how to explain this but everything that was coming out of my mouth I was 1000% sure that it was pure truth. it was amazing all he could say was ok I will do that. he finished by saying the prayer and in it he included this sentence " I am so thankful for our prophet Thomas S Monsoon and your love that you have to direct us " it was a great rendezvous. I love hearing sincere prayers, like the prayer of a child.
Me and Elder Whatcott have been working with a less active named Keren Gonzolas, when we first met with her she had not been to church and even more did not like Elders cause I guess in Panama they are pretty sketchy from the stories she told us. so over the past couple of weeks me and Elder whatcott have been trying to push a wall over. and She as been back to church, she loved it and she promised us that she would go when she got back to Panama. In our last rendezvous she was sad to say goodbye and said to us " I have never met any Elders like you... your different" we finally got through the wall, it almost got me teary eyed! as we left we said buenos Noches! and we got her to smile really big!
It has been a great week and a great transfer for that matter. I love being a missionary I have the opportunity to become friends with some really amazing people and try to help them strengthen their testimonies. and all the while being taught more that what I think I taught. I guess that is the way that God works though the harder you work the more he blesses you, we can never catch up. I don’t think that I will ever comprehend the love that God has for each and everyone of us.
I am so excited to be spending Christmas in the Alps with my good buddy Elder Whatcott, it is so fun to do this work when you are having fun every step of the way! I love you all and I look forward to talking to you next week! I love PHONE CALLS!

Love Elder Schmidt

12/09/09**

Schmidt Family

Well it was the last week of the Transfer and it was stressful but very fun. so first of all it was stressful because you are never sure that you will be staying in the villa so that automatically makes us have to prepare in case there is a change. sooo just to let you know where I am going ... haha im staying here a third transfer with Elder Whatcott, it will be the longest that I have stayed with one companion. and we get to spend Christmas in the Alps we are both very excited the end of next transfer is like the 19 of January 2010 ... I know that crazy its almost already 2010 I thought it would never come and its only a couple weeks away.
This past week was really fun we had a Branch Christmas party and it was just a fun night talking with everyone and having fun we where supposed to dress up in the clothing from the time of Christ so we decided to wrap scarves around our head and call it good. everyone was laughing and that’s pretty much what we where going for! then we went up to a villa named Bluche to talk with Addie a member from California we... we where waiting and this little french girl came right up and started to talk to us asking us who we where and it grew into a first lesson, I don’t know if we will ever see her again cause she graduates in like two days from this school, but she does have a book of Mormon and she said that she would read it! so I was excited for that! oh and we had the opportunity to teach the girl that just walked into the church wanting to learn more. she is really nice and cool and very sincere. we are just going to keep on praying for her that she will be able to feel that it is true! I will fill you in on any new details. another on of our amis Julio came to church and he loved it, he is not able to come to church this next week but he told us to tell everyone that he loved it and that he wants to work on being a good example to all of the kids that he saw. well I don`t have too much else to add but my testimony that I know that the lord is in this work and that he wants to help us all we need to do is ask and then act on what we receive. I love being a missionary really have a hard time remembering before the mission but it seems like a dream its nice to feel like a full time missionary. well I love you all so much and am sooo thankful for all you do for me. you are all great examples to me and i thanks you for that. I wish you all a good week!

Love Elder Schmidt

12/02/09 Letter From Today!! :)

Schmidt Family

This week has been fantastic! We have accomplished the impossible, if you will. To start the week off, we had a really cool miracle. In Elder Whatcotts and my effort to serve the members and gain their confidence in us, we asked a member if we could help him clean the church; he accepted. Let me just note the fact that we are almost never at the church, but on this day a lady named Natasha walked in. I thought she might be lost. So, I went over and talked with her a bit. She said she was looking for a church to attend and that she was new to the place. Then, she said can you teach me about what you believe? I was like, “I’ve heard of God directing people into his church, but I never thought he meant that literally!!! So now we have a rendez vous with her, and the member is very interested and wants to know if he can help.

Another situation is there are two families in the ward and the missionaries just haven’t been able to click with or go and see them. So Elder Whatcott and I made it a point to go and see them. The first family is the family Michaude, the missionaries haven’t been to their house in over a year. We fix a rendez vous and shared a spiritual thought for family home evening and then they offered to help us if we have any investigators that would want to come to a family home evening at their house; what a miracle.

The last family is the family Bagnoud, they don’t like inviting the missionaries over because apparently a missionary came, and took their oldest daughter to America. So we have been trying to gain their confidence in us and make friends with them. They invited us over for Thanksgiving and it was fantastic. We all had a lot of fun and laughed a lot; it was great!

This week has been great as far as missionary work and to top everything off, we fixed a baptismal date with one of our amis. We are working with him to help him over come some challenges but he wants to be baptized. The Lord is really helping us here and I can really see miracle after miracle. I am glad that everyone had a good thanksgiving and I hope you have a great week. Transfers are next week so we will see what happens. I hope we both stay one more!!!

I Love you all

11/25/09

Hey Schmidt family

This week has been one not to forget ha…ha, Elder Whatcott and I had the opportunity to teach a couple members\investigators that where Spanish speaking it was fantastic. The first one was the family Rivero; they can’t speak French that well. So I had the opportunity to try out the Spanish that I learned in Geneva. it was so funny, I told Elder Whatcott that I was going to do it, and he was like “what-ever”, I said I had to do it everyday in Geneva; I’m just a little rusty. so we arrived and to start off the reunion, I said a prayer in Spanish nothing too fancy, but when I finished the prayer they where a little confused and looked at each other. Then Maria said to her husband “I understood; that was in Spanish”, then they both started laughing. It was cool because they were so much more open and friendly because I tried to speak their language ha…ha. It was rough, but fun.

The second opportunity was with a less active member from panama. We met her at the Gare, or train station. I gave the prayer in Spanish again, I was proud of myself cause I was saying the things that I didn’t know I could say. This also allowed here to open up to us more and we where able to have a fantastic lesson. I really believe that by small and simple things great things come to pass.

Ok so yesterday was filled with many events, we started if off by going to Lausanne for a district meeting; I was giving the lesson on how to work with members. I related it to Alma going back to the city of Amonihah to be received by Amulek. That it was like missionaries going and strengthening a member and then teaching with a member. I also showed them with this scripture that the more we sacrifice for the gospel, the more it means to us. It was good and I had a lot of participation. Right after this we had a little thanksgiving lunch it was sooo much fun, the sisters and I coordinated the food and everyone brought a little something; it was perfect we even went around the table and said what we where thankful for. I said I am thankful for the opportunity I have every day to testify to people of the things that I know to be true; I really am thankful for that.

Ok, now this is the funny part of the night; I will try to tell the story well. It was night time and we where frapping doors and it was freezing cold. We came up to this low lit house and it happened to be my turn to nock this door. We came up to the gate and I said "I hate gates like this, where they’re jerry rigged shut by bungee cords. Elder Whatcott then took them off and said "let’s go". Then I read this sign right next to the fence and it said chienne mechant. I said to Elder Whatcott, "I’m going to get my leg bit off by some dog. It said, Evil dog back there. He said, “Don’t worry they always put those up for Chihuahuas”. I said, “Guess we will see.”

So….. we are getting ready to climb this stair case and I see this huge dog poke it’s head out and stare at the wall, we both froze; then it looked left and saw us. Let’s just say it started peeling out after us. I felt like the kid on the Sandlot, the one being chased by the dog. I don’t know if it was just because I have more experience with this, but I took off running, while my companion was frozen. You should have seen me, I literally hurdled this fence not even touching it at all. I got out to the road and looked back. Elder Whatcott had a terrified look on his face as this dog was chasing him, nipping at his heels. He also hurdled the fence and kept on running. It kind of reminded me of Forest Gump; he ran all the way till the end of the road. I couldn’t help but laugh; it was so funny:)

Well, I hope you all have a fantastic week and a wonderful thanksgiving. We somehow worked three thanksgiving dinners into the week, one with an American family Quel bennidiction (what blessings). Well I love you all, don’t forget to write next week ok. I love the emails. ;)

Love
Elder Schmidt

11/18/09

Family,
Well this week has been really great, we started the week off by seeing a really cool castle its name is Châtueax de Chillon; it was really beautiful. It is right on the lake side and it was my first opportunity to use the camera that you sent me. It was sooooo much fun!

Elder Whatcott and I have been having a great time working here in Martigny. We decided to under go a little bit of member work, this is a little bit more intense then just hopping on a train and walking to their houses. For some reason the members here live in really extravagant places, like up on the top of a mountain. I guess I can’t really blame them, that’s where I would live if I moved here. So, needless to say, it takes a lot of time and a lot of trains, but it is really fun.

We have been making banana bread for everyone hoping that it will soften their hearts a little bit towards the missionaries. I really think that it’s by Member work that people need to be found. So I give you all a challenge to do something this week to bring someone closer to the waters of baptism. I Promise that the missionaries will love you and that is guaranteed way to feel the spirit more.
We had a really great rendez vous this week. We have a really sweet member here; her name is Addie and she is going the extra mile to share the gospel with her friends and even people that she doesn’t even know. We had the opportunity to teach one of her friends Julia about the plan of salvation; she was almost in tears at the end of the rendezvous. We invited her to pray to see if it was true that night, she did and when we called the next day she said that she got a great answer. She said she didn’t feel anything right after the prayer but while she was laying in bed thinking she said she had good experience. You never can know who will accept the gospel we just need to open our mouths and see.
We have also been teaching a 20 year old named Julio, it has been really great he is so very open and says that he feels that it is right. We were able to have a rendezvous with him with the presence of our branch president, it was great. I think that we all learned something from that lesson. I for one learned that I need to really prepare more diligently for the lesson. All in all, it was a good experience. We will be teaching him tonight as well!

Well, I don’t know what more to say. For some reason the weather has been really nice here. It hasn’t even snowed once. We can see it in the mountains though. We really feel like we are gaining good relationships with the members here and I think that it is only bound to get better. Oh and if you have any missionary experiences I would love to hear about them or the things that you are doing to prepare for when you have them.

I love being a missionary its Amazing to say the least. Well I love you all I hope that you have a fantastic week.

Love Elder Schmidt

11/11/09

Bonjour tout le Monde Hey, this week has been a great one. Elder Whatcott and I have been having a blast... where to start. Well, we went to that five star dinner thing with that member and hopefully a new ami, if we can meet again. It was really fun\really stressful because it’s like the good food and everything, but at the same time this professor is walking around yelling at the servers to make them better. We had the chance to talk about who we where, and why we are here, and to talk a little bit about the restoration. All in all it was really cool, and we fixed a time to come up and teach formally. They made Flambé à le crêpe and I swear the flame almost hit the roof it was the girls first time making it sooooo you can imagine.
We also had stake conference this week it was really cool because they held it at the same place as last year. It was kinda cool cause I remember last year thinking I have to really try to understand this, and now I can just understand with no effort. The lord really does bless us missionaries with the gift of tounges, there is no other way we could learn it this quick otherwise. I got to see a lot of members from Fribourg it was fun!!!
Last but not least we had a really crazy night last night. Elder Whatcott prayed to find a ville we should work in and we landed on this ville called Saxon. We have been going there for the past transfer and haven’t seen very much success there, although, we were determined to see one there. So, we went last night and we stared down this road and came to an apartment building. We went to the top and started then this lady opened the door and so I started talking to her. I soon figured out that she couldn’t speak French. After that I said, "Well is there anything that we can do to help you this night? She smiled and said “Come on in, I was so confused as what to do. So, I just went in and we sat down and she went and got us a couple of cokes. I was thinking I have no clue what to do. We can’t communicate. I figured out that they are from Iraq and they figured out we were Americans. Her son translated for his mom. She was saying that we have war together. It was intense and I didn’t know what to do. In the middle of all this we were watching Arab TV ha…ha. My companion was laughing the whole time, because it felt like we where just sitting with people in their house and couldn’t even communicate. Long story short we got out. I was thinking I am going to go outside and get my bearings back.

Then, we went to pass a family that told us to return, and the girls said to come back in 10 min. We said, “ok”, then we went to the building next to the family from Iraq and started the second door, this young kid opened up and I said something I don’t even remember what, and he said come on in. His name is Julio perrera, we taught a first lesson and he was sooooo interested and wanting to know more. We fixed a rendez vous for tomorrow and he was like “sure come on over; can I invite you to dinner”? I was like sure; I like food! Then he said, “I will really try to read this chapter that you gave me and finish it before you come back”..... It was a great experience for me and I know that the lord really lead us there that night.

We went to Saxon to see a Portuguese family, while waiting went into a building and had a crazy experience, so left the building and went to the one next to it where someone had been prepared to hear the message. I love being a missionary it is so rewarding; I get to see miracles every day. I made a goal to write down a miracle that I see every day, and by doing this I really can see that our Heavenly Father sends blessings always, even in those days that everything seems to go not quite right, but then you see that there was a reason in it all. Well I love you all soooo much.

Love
Elder Schmidt

11/04/09

Hey Everyone: Well, this week has been a little bit long, considering the whole preparation day change. We ran out of food yesterday, so it’s going to be nice to go shopping again. Today Elder Whatcott and I are heading to the top of a mountain for preparation day.

We have a member from California; she is up at this Hotel school. I’m not really sure what it is, I’m assuming it is the same type of school Benjamin from the ship must have went to. They teach you how to clean a room in no time flat and they have to learn how to cook and all at 5 star quality. She is cool because she is sharing the gospel with… like everyone there. So, we are receiving people to teach. She invited us with the investigator to go to a "5 star dinner". It’s where they have some of the students practicing all the stuff and we are like the test audience... I wouldn’t mind being the test audience every night should be really fun.
So things are really starting to cool down here, it has been really beautiful seeing the leaves change colors on the trees as well as the vineyards. Let’s just say for the past couple days it has been raining a lot, and turns out I have holes in my shoes who would have thought ha-ha it builds character right?!? I think they will make it to the end.

I love the Alps they are so pretty and I think even more when they have snow on them; the really big ones have snow already.:) yeee haaawww Bring on the winter
This week we had the opportunity to teach Julio, with his member girlfriend, it went great I loved it. We taught the word of wisdom, and let’s just say she testified very well as to why we don’t put bad things into our bodies. They also go to a hotel school and it is really impressive to see Addie and Kareen hold up there standards. Apparently they make them taste all the wines, so they know how to describe them to people, and they both said “no, we would rather fail”, and their teachers said we will just let you sniff it. Anyway at the end of the rendezvous he said he will obey it and he was all around just excited for the baptism. The Lord really is in this work.

My birthday went very well, we just went about the daily routine and went finding and knocked some doors and we taught a lesson. I think the coolest part of the night was just talking with some young adults. They where really cool they invited us to go get a beer. Ha-ha. We said no we don’t drink, they wanted us to hang out with them, but we couldn’t; obviously we where just able to teach them a couple principles.
Oh did you get the chocolate that I sent???? I really hope that you did. Well, l I hope that everyone has a fantastic week. I can’t wait to write again about next week. I love you all, and here is a cool quote. I like the spiritual spunk of a marine general, who on one of those rare occasions led a group of marines who where surrounded and embattled, instead if being discouraged, General Chastey Fuller said " At last, we’ve got the enemy just where we want him. We can fire in every direction.” “To you I say, we are surrounded by challenges, but we can serve in every direction.”

Love
Elder Schmidt

11/04/09**

oh wow it sounds like you have had a long fun\hectic week haha like we say in french comme dab witch means like habit or like usual haha life in the Schmidt home is a roller coaster haha. I have had great week and you sent a package:) sweeet!!!!!!! I love those things!!! well mom that was so sweet what you said about the song on Fival Goes West, and trust me that I have feel like that every night when we are walking around and its pitch black and we are walking down an alley and scared out of our minds haha well I better get to writing the long one for everyone I love you and im glad Dad had a great birthday

10/26/09 I love Miracles!

Ha..Ha.. that is so funny with Ty that would have been funny to be a part of :) Thanks so much for wishing me a happy birthday and I am glad it is my last one away from home too. Are you excited in less then six months you will see Paris and France and Switzerland and one of your childhood dreams will be fulfilled :) That’s going to be a lot of fun, don’t you think?

This transfer I will be getting what they call a death letter or rather the letter that tells me what date I will be finished; crazy huh? As for the camera is it coming? Just curious:) I’m in a really pretty part of the mission!!!

Well mom I love you. Things are going great. Transfer calls where today and it looks like I will be staying here in Sion, for another six weeks with Elder Whatcott; so I am excited!

We fixed a baptismal date last night it really was amazing. I had one of those moments of “I love being a missionary”! He was really excited.

Oh and for some good news, I talked with Elder Asay today, and you know that family we found and taught the Obiangondo family, well, they are going to be baptized this next weekend. It was so cool to hear because our Mission President said find a family, and they will be members next week, and we did!

Oh and the excommunicated member we where working a lot with, is having his baptism in two weeks. I love miracles. It’s so great to see the gospel change the lives of others; it fills me with love and happiness. It’s great.

Well, I love you and hope you have a fantastic week.

Love Elder Schmidt

10/19/09**

La Famille Schmidt

wow it sounds like you all had a lot of fun this past week! carving pumpkins and all... they don’t really do that around these parts we explained to a member what we do and they looked at us like that’s a waist of a pumpkin I could make pumpkin soup with that. I remember she said well after all of that do you use the pumpkin to eat? we said no it just kind of spoils right there on the front step and either some one comes and smashes them or the face that you carved starts to look like an old man so we throw it away. she laughed. what else this week should be interesting we have finally fixed some rendezvous for the next week I hope that they go through and we can teach them. we had this really cool miracle happen we fasted that we would be able to find someone and like two days later we received a call from headquarters salt lake mission a.k.a. temple square and we went that night to try and meet her she opened the door a crack and said who are you and what do you want, we said we are missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints, after we said that she flung to door open and said come on in I will get you something to drink and we can talk. she explained that she was camping in Utah and the people camping right next to her came over and started talking they over heard that they spoke french... long story short this family invited her to stay at their house so they did and she had a wonderful time, the family took them to temple square and introduced them to the church. all in all she is really excited to see us and I am soooo thankful for that family that went the extra mile, go member work!!! like Gordon b hinckley said there is a better way and that’s it. well I better get going I love you all your all in my prayers. have a great week!!!

10/12/09

Hey Everyone,

Things are going great here in Martingy. My companion and I have learned so much from General Conference; things that we can apply. Right now as far as the work is going, we have the opportunity to really put our faith to the test. We are walking the streets and porting doors and really working with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength, to find that one person that will accept the gospel. I don’t think this work was ever meant to be easy.

I really feel that my faith is growing daily because I have to put all my confidence in the Lord, and that he will direct us where to go. I really am trying to do all the promptings I receive, even if it means stepping outside of my comfort bubble; which it regularly does.

There was a talk given about a track coach, he said to the runners, “How much do you want to have at the end of the race?” They replied… “Nothing”. I think it was Jeffery R Holland; he said I want you to have NOTHING when you step off that plain. I want them to drag you off in an ambulance. I really want to have nothing left after my mission. Please pray for me that I will be diligent in the most important work I will ever do. This is my time to serve the Lord; I can’t waist it.

I really need your prayers. I know that without a doubt we will find someone soon, even if it means walking around in the cold and knocking a hundred more doors. I love you all, and hope you have a fantastic week.

Thanks for everything:)
Elder Schmidt

10/05/09**

oh my gosh that is soooo cool that you got to meet Elder Chapman he really is like my best friend, we had a lot of really cool times together and saw a lot of really cool miracle. I think its awesome that I can go on a mission and find the best kind of friends like Elder Chapman those are the ones that are going to try and lift you rather than let you fall and that’s the kinda friend I need! any ways he wanted me to tell you that the girl he was with wasn’t his girlfriend he just went to conference with her. I really think that it is so cool you met him.
it sounds like the family is really busy moving dirt and stuff for the pavers I bet it is going to look so nice when it is finished. and as for Conference I loved it I felt like it was really the first time i was ever able to really listened to the holy ghost and receive the things heavenly father wanted me to receive. I will try to make a plan so that I can follow them. I love this church mom I don’t know what I would do without it. and I only felt homesick cause I could see salt lake but other then that it just makes me happy to know that we are so close to salt lake. Mom I love missionary work. I am going to put my best foot forward this week and get out of my comfort bubble, its scary but im sure it was scary for Christ to know the pain he was going to have to endure I figure it’s the least I can do. and I think this last six months is going to fly bye before we know it you will be here in Switzerland picking me up. oh and for ideas for Christmas I wanted to buy I nice french suite so i can have a good one for when i go home. what else has happened this week. oh yeah we had our own personal Air show the other day we where doing our studies and all of a sudden i felt we heard this way loud sounds and found out it was jets they did all these cool patterns and it was Swiss planes they where flying like 700 ft above our building that’s close. oh i was going to ask you mom did you receive your answers to your questions? from what I could gather i knew it spoke about something that has been on your mind for a while. I forget who spoke but all i could think about was how you where probably getting an answer to your prayers on what you should do.
well mom I don’t have too much time like i just want you to know first of all that i know this church is true and that we can receive personal revelation and God can expand our minds. i love you soo much and thanks for all that you do. I love you

09/28/09**

hey Everyone this week has been fantastic me and my companion get along really well and always have things to talk about, I think its funny cause sometimes he thinks I am like this professional with missionary work he is always like you have been a zone leader and done this and that and I think its cool cause he just wants to learn. this week we have kind of been under the weather if you will with this wicked head cold thing and we had to stay in for two days, then we couldn’t take it and fixed some rendezvous with a couple families thinking that we where a little bit better but turns out the two families didn’t come to church cause they where sick.... I think maybe there is a connection oops. other than that it was my companions birthday and I made him this pretty cool cake thing and decorated it I probably already wrote this in your other letter but oh well. he loved it, I love making people happy it’s a great feeling I just tried to make his birthday a big deal and everyone followed along some members even made this cake thing and they did this surprise birthday song for him
> what else oh Sunday we went to the church like normal and where greeting everyone and asking about their week and all of a sudden the branch president came up with this smile on his face... you know the one where they come towards you and you know that the`re going to give you a calling well it was one of those but he said Elder can you give a talk today? I said cest mon pleasure. and then I took the task given to me said a quick prayer and then I made this talk up I titled it ask and ye shall receive but in french and talked about Joseph smith and how he posed so many questions and then looked to the words of the prophets and prayed and then he got his answer... long story short I told them that they need to make questions now and go to General Conference to get their response to those questions, I closed and sat down the branch president looked at me and smiled and pointed at his paper while talking to his counselor and then he got up and pretty much re enforced what I had talked about to all the members it was great! I felt like when a prophet or an apostles is on a tour with a member from the 70 and tells them to give a talk out of the blue and they just do it. well I love you all and I do encourage you to reflect this week of questions that you have had and go to conference with the faith that you will receive an answer. Have a fantastic week!!!:)

09/14/09 Email

Family,
This week has been pretty good, it was stake conference and since it was being held at our building, it was our responsibility to put out all the chairs; that took forever.

Well transfers where this week and it looks like I am being moved back into Switzerland to a Ville called Martigny; it’s really close to a place called Sion or in English ZION ha ha. It should be pretty fun.

I will no longer be a zone leader, hopefully I can find things to do with all the time I will have ha ha. It should be a really good experience.

I am not really excited to leave Nancy because I have seen so many miracles here, and I really love the people in the ward, they are great people, and their hearts are in the right place.

Oh mom and dad you can still go to that address I gave you to meet that French family they have a DVD waiting for you just to pick it up. I think you will like it; we made it just for you! If you need the address let me know, I will try to get it to send it to you.

I need your prayers this next week because I need a lot of help from the Lord because I know that I can’t do this work alone. Thanks so much for you love and I will send you my address as soon as I can. I love you so much

Elder Schmidt

09/07/09**

hey dad things are going a lot better here in Nancy we have had a little bit more time to do some teaching. We have so much going on I feel like I need to become a professional planner to fit it all in and you must realize that the french people feel as though you are forgetting them if you don’t see them often or call them to let them know what is going on. so lets just say we have been doing a lot of calls. lets see we have a lot going on I will start with Lydie we still haven’t invited her to be baptized we are trying to find a spare moment so we can have a great lesson with her to do it I must thank you for teaching me how to fill in holes in walls cause I have done that a lot lately for service it should turn out good so we are praying that we can fix a rendezvous with her so we can lance the invitation. then we have jessy he spoke with a member last week and said the first time they gave me the invitation I wasn’t serious but know I feel like it is true so we are going to re invite him today even though its preparation day ( sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven) and believe me we need them. then we where given a reference of this African family from a member in Metz and we took this family on a tour of the chapel and explained sacrament the system of the church and them we ended with having the family in the baptismal font and we invited them to be baptized they accepted and accepted to come to church the next day, they came and they loved it. then we where called up by a less active man that wants his daughter and son to be baptized so we are going to see him this week and then on the way to church I spoke with the bus driver turns out he is less active and he said he has been speaking with his 9yr old daughter about baptism so we are going to have to see how that goes. we also received 2 references from church headquarters and also a visitor from Texas gave us the address of his aunt he is a recent convert of three yrs. oh and by some miracle one of our existing amies got the permission from her mother to come to stake conference that’s a huge step! so long story short the lord is pouring out blessings on us the missionaries and the members of Nancy, the transfers are next week I hope that I have the opportunity to stay one more transfer! I would love that. well I love you thanks for writing me. Love Elder Schmidt

08/31/09**

Hey Everyone,

This week has been go go go. We started off in Luxembourg for preparation day, and we did a little zip line thing that was really fun. Then, we went and saw a castle; it was really fun.

On Tuesday we went to Belgium and did a little door to door knocking. I wanted to get a waffle but there was none to be found, so it went ok anyways. Wednesday, was good, we where packed with Rendezvous cause it was the only day that we where in Nancy. I feel bad cause we have people here that really want to progress but can’t really because we aren’t around that often. I will do better this week ;)

Then, on Thursday our whole zone went down to Lyon, and let me tell you buying everyone’s tickets was a hassle, but had to be done. We had to take 2 trains and switch in Dijon, and we all had assigned seating. On the first train we where all just talking to one another, and one of the elders was speaking to this young girl about the Restoration, since he was seated next to her. At the end of the ride he gave her a book of Mormon and told her to read it, then we all said bye to her.

We got on our other train which would take us the rest of the way to Lyon and guess who came and sat next to me? It was the same girl that Elder Brady had been speaking with. I started to speak with her casually about The Lord of the Rings. I was really trying to find a connection point. Then I asked her where she was from and she said Lebanon, it’s close to Israel. She was 20 yrs old. She then asked me, “Why are you here”? I replied, you know that book he gave you? Well, I read it and prayed about it, and found out that it is true. So, I chose to come and share it with everyone.

Then, she asked another question "How would you convince someone that doesn’t believe in God, to believe in him? I soon figured out that she was speaking of herself and that she once believed, but since she has been here all her friends think that it is foolish. So then I asked her what is your goal in this life, and are you happy? She replied, yes, I’m happy, happy as to the world. I have good friend we have fun and go dancing, but I don’t really have a goal in this life. I think that is what I am missing. Then, I thought to my self "You do have a goal in life. Now let me remind you". I taught her the plan of salvation, and then after I testified of it, and she began to lightly cry, and I knew that she had felt the spirit. She lifted the paper I had drawn on and said, “This is beautiful, the only thing is how do I find out that it is true?” I then explained how to pray; all in all it was a great experience for me. I am sure she will be seeing the missionaries in the South of France. This is just another experience to show you how the Lord placed one of his prepared daughters in the way of his missionaries, so she could be taught. She told me as I was getting off the train, “Don’t forget to tell the other missionaries my number”. It was so cool.

Anyway, it was a fantastic week! Sorry this story was so long. I left a lot of really cool details out; it was awesome. I love this work, I know the Lord directs it. Like this girl she had been praying for an answer and the Lord gave her an answer. I know that it is the same with all of us, he always gives us an answer. I love you all.

Love,
Elder Schmidt

08/24/09 **

hey mom things are going great here in France, all I know is I am going through this little kinda scared moment just like it hit me how fast seven months go by and I feel like I have so much more changing to do, I realize that I will have the rest of my life to change but I really want to change a lot on my mission. all I know that I want to have a really strong shield built up against the adversary so that when I get home I will be fine. I hate hearing stories of return missionaries falling away when they return. as far as the work goes things are going fantastic I could have been more diligent this week I hate when I finish a week feeling like I could have done such a better job but I guess that’s what repentance is all about. getting up after falling and going again putting more of your trust in the lord and his atonement. I really am so grateful for my mission cause I really know that the things I am preaching are true there is nothing better that I have felt than sharing your testimony with someone and having them get it or feel something I think that’s what it means by first seek ye the kingdom of God, and also lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. its all about the spiritual that’s where we get the true happiness. Thanks for sending the package. today I am in Luxembourg and I will be going to Belgium tomorrow so it should be cool and later on in the week I will be going to Lyon and then to geneva we are making a huge tour again. its just go go go never time to slow down I guess its better that way. well mom I love you so much and thanks for your love and support. love Elder Schmidt

08/17/09**

Wow this week has been hectic we started it off by going to Geneva it was pretty fun for our Zone leader counsel. we learned about how to find families to teach and Baptize, I love that subject cause honestly their isn’t anything more important in the Gospel than having a family and having someone to help you through lifes journey. so needless to say I am ready to go and find some families to teach we are fixing a goal to go and port houses instead of apartment. then after that we took a car with the assistance and drove all the way back up to Nancy its about the distance from salt lake to st..george. it was pretty fun. we had the chance to meet with a lot of people and then the next day we went back to saint etienne wow talk about old memories lets just say I am glad to be in Nancy:) haha what else then we came back and say the family cuche we had a bbq and did service and then we went to our little branch and had 2 investigators come we are going to invite one of them to be baptized next week. That’s really about it today we are going to be playing football as a zone here in Nancy with like 13 elders and they will all be at the apartment ce soir. its going to be crazy. well I love you all and I will keep working and doing my best. Love Elder Schmidt

08/10/09** New Companion

Hey everyone things are going great here in Nancy this past week, at the beginning of the week I took a long ride in a car to Nancy, but me and another elder kept ourselves busy by singing all the hymns that we could thing of in french and just laughing and having fun, I topped it off by spilling orangina all over my tie it was terrible haha.... got to love your road trips. then I picked up my old new companion elder Asay we basically hung out at the mission home for the day cause we had to wait for the other missionaries that where going to be staying the night in Nancy it was fun though. we came back and had a really good rest of the week here in Nancy I kind of like working with someone that I have already served with (and liked) cause then you just pick up where you left off and go to work. We will be spending P-day on a train to Geneva today... I know lame but what can you do it’s the most effective thing we could do. we will be there for the zone leader council its going to be great then this Wednesday we have our exchanges with the assistance in Nancy and then we are heading to St..Etienne to finish Elder Asays legality. it going to be a fun filled week. I received an email from one of my favorite companions Elder Chapman today it made me realize how fast a mission really does go bye I think before I know it, it will all be over. I guess I better work hard!!! well I better get going cant wait to hear from you all love Elder Schmidt

LEAVE MESSAGES FOR BRONSON

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm doing it again!! Please leave messages/comments on this blog for Bronson. When he is done with his mission we are going to have this printed up for him as a remider of his mission. So any comments/messages that are left would be included and enjoyed by him. And even more important than that, he does get on his blog and check it on his P-Days so he'd be able to read what's written now!!

So in case you don't know how to leave a comment... At the end of any message that is written there is a spot that says comments, click on that and it'll take you to a spot to leave a message. Make sure to write your name on the message too!! He'll love it!

Thank you for all your love and support with Bronson!!

Worthiness/from Bronson

Worthiness
I have been thinking lately why is being worthy so important. I know it is important for my own salvation. The word worthy in the dictionary means “of worth or value”. So when we have worthiness before God we are of worth or value for him. So, if we aren’t worthy, we are of no worth or value to God. That ‘s the way the world might think it is. I will share a couple of definitions of worthiness I found in the scriptures (cleanliness, dependability, faithfulness, purification, repentance, righteousness); these are qualities of someone who is worthy. I like these divinations because if I use the inverse of each word it makes more sense….To be unworthy you are not clean, not dependable, not faithful, not pure not repentant, not righteous before God, but you are always of worth and of value to God. The only thing that separates the two (worthy and unworthy) is when we are worthy the Lord can use us in his work. The Lord will qualify us for the work according to our faithfulness. I have quickly figured out that tone of the most important steps in being and staying worthy starts with virtue. Virtue is prerequisite to receiving the Spirits guidance, virtue starts in our innermost thoughts and desires, and it is a pattern of thoughts and behavior. This brings to my mind a quote

“Sow a thought reap an action, Sow an action, reap a habit, Sow a habit, reap a character, Sow a character reap a destiny.”

If you have virtue you are clean and pure spiritually. You focus on righteous uplifting thoughts and put unworthy thoughts that lead to inappropriate actions our of their minds. They do as it is taught in D&C 121:45 “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God”. So we need to let virtue constantly have a place in our thoughts. If it’s there, it is a protection and the filtering system to our thoughts. So, in ending the key to staying worthy starts back in our thoughts, if we control and filter out the bad there, they can’t lead to sin.

Email from 08/03/09

Hey everyone,

How are things going back in the USA? I saw a girl today wearing a shirt with the American flag on it and I felt like it was Friday and I was in third grade. So I put my hand over my heart and recited the pledge of allegiance, my companion Elder Lepretre just laughed I told him I had a patriotic moment.

This week we really haven’t had the chance to be in Nancy because we where in Geneva doing are exchanges with the Assistance. It went really good, in two hours we talked at least 20 25 people; it was great. I love Geneva I even did 3 in Spanish ha ha. I have to go back to Geneva tomorrow for two reasons one is to do my Suisse legality and also to pick up my new companion or should I say my new old companion Elder Asay. I am really excited Elder Lepretre is going to Geneva. This next transfer should be really great I am looking forward to seeing Miracles.

This morning me and Elder Lepretre played a little tennis with are children rackets; it’s really amazing to the level that you will sink to, to play a little tennis ha ha; what a great game. What else is going on; we have a couple potentials for baptism this transfer and I plan on working with them and preparing them so that they can more easily receive an answer. I’m glad I am getting Elder Asay again, we had fun in the Spanish equipe in Geneva.

The thing I am going to try and work on this transfer is to believe that all things will work together for my good. I really have been learning a lot this last couple transfers and I am excited to learn more. I love the Mission, sometimes it’s hard but I know that the Lord sometimes allows us to pass through hard times to make us stronger. I’m also learning that I shouldn’t fear the future because the Lord has given me the best guide that I can have, the Holy Ghost. If I follow the promptings, I will end up where the Lord wants me. Well, I love you all so very much, I know that I say that every e mail but I really mean it. Keep trying to learn from the words of Prophets both present and past. Have a great week

Love
Elder Schmidt

Picture emailed on 07/27/09

07/27/09 Email

Hey everyone How is everyone doing back home? This week has been really great. This week we did a tour of exchanges and let’s just say that it was a long week, but really good and I learned a lot.

You know the style of our house that was everywhere in the Alzas area, that is to say the villages Strasbourg, Colmar, and Mulhouse it was really great. We where walking down the road and we heard ELDERS and this LDS sized family came running towards us, it was great! We talked with them for couple min and then said we had to get going; all in all it was awesome.

We had a lot of cool things happen, like we taught this less active guys, girlfriend, and apparently she was anti Mormon. So, what we did was just talked with her about normal things, and then we eased our way into the book of Mormon. We asked the question: “Why don’t you like the Mormons”, and she said because I have seen South Park…. (I always knew that show was good for nothing) haha. We explained everything, and at the end we gave her a book of Mormon. Then, she said, “if it’s a present then you have to write in it”, we wrote in it. Then she asked if she could get a picture of us to place inside. Long story short is I talked with the missionary and he said that she came to church.

There was a lot more that happened this week but I cant type quickly, the key board format changed again.

This was fantastic thanks for all you all do for me.

Love

Elder Schmidt

Letter from 07/20/09

Hey Dad,
It sounds like you had a really good time at blue lake. The only thing I remember from blue lake is you hanging on my tank, and the inside of my mask. But if I remember right, we still did really well with our air. I think if nothing else between Blue Lake and Sea Base, you learn how to conserve air ha ha. I really can’t wait until I will be able to just hang out with everyone again, that’s what I’m looking forward too. And, as far as the pavers go, I really wouldn’t mind doing them, cause there is nothing like working hard and that feeling that comes right after that the (I feel good) feeling.

We have been working really hard here and I am excited to see more miracles. I still know that there are a lot of changes that I need to make, or in other words repentance, so that I can be a better tool in the Lords hands. We fixed two more baptismal dates this week. One with a man named Khalil; we had to drop him for a bit, but I was really a miracle cause the reason we dropped him, was cause he couldn’t come to church because of work. So we fasted for him, and haven’t called him for a while and then we called him the other day, and said “how’s it going”, the first thing he said is, “I found another job and I don’t have to work Sundays anymore”. The Lord works in mysterious ways, that is for sure and on his own time table.

The second was with a man named Jessie, we have been working with him and he is reading the book of Mormon everyday and praying. He shared a experience with us this past Sunday, he said, “I was looking for this church on the internet and I found some anti Mormon stuff, then he said it made me feel really bad for a couple of days, and I didn’t read or pray. Then, I decided to start to read again, and he felt good again.

Oh… we also had another miracle, the man and his wife that you are going to meet are fantastic member missionaries he was on this camping trip with boys from the ward and he saw two people fishing, he went up to them and said oh you like to fish and then he said I am a Fisher Of Men, then he offered them a book of Mormon, and spoke with them and got their information. We talked with her and she seemed very nice.

And then, the last miracle we had was a lady that referred her self to get a book of Mormon in Salt Lake. We met with her and she said, “I have been searching for the right Church all my life but I still haven’t found it”, so we fixed a rendezvous and offered to help her. We left and like 15 min later, called her to move the appointment. She said, “Sure, and thanks for coming over I really felt something different; it made me happy”. We said we didn’t do much of anything, and then it hit me that she felt the spirit as we where speaking with her.

Dad, I really like what you said, to search for the things that I will want to look back on. Our new mission president said the same thing, he said (these are the GOOD OLD DAYS). So I will take your advice and search for the experiences that I want to remember.

Another thing that I learned this week is that you can honestly tie anything back to the gospel. I was chopping wood for a member the other day and I thought to my self “I can split this in one try; I tried and it didn’t work. Then the old member explained to me, you have to study it, and see if she is telling you anything. So I was thinking, yeah… right… He looked at it for a couple seconds, turned it a bit and swung. If I didn’t know any better I thought I saw Paul bunion right before my eyes. The wood split in two like butter. Then, he explained to me what he did. So I took the next piece of wood and looked at it, and found this little hair line crack, it was the only thing I could find, and this on was bigger, so I had to use a wedge. I took a couple swings and the wood split apart and flew three feet from where I was, and the wedge was stuck in the ground. I was like oui je suis bien en forme which means basically “yeah… I’ve been working out”, they laughed. All in all it helped me see that when we are faced with something, if we just take a moment to study it and search for the best way, we won’t use as much energy, and the job gets done faster it’s like you always say, it’s the lay out that takes the time.

Well, I love you and hope you have a fantastic week. Thanks for the e-mail.

Love Elder Schmidt

A couple of Pictures

Here's 2 pictures that Bronson emailed us. One is from the baptism they did, and the other is Bronson having fun on his P-Day

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

Letter Bronson sent on 07/09/09

Famile Schmidt,
Hey everyone, I thought I would send some pictures, to keep everyone entertained. Some of them you have already seen so sorry. Noting new is really happening here. I don’t think anything especially funny has happened, other than what I wrote in my e-mails.

Missions are great. I understand why when you ask someone how their mission was they will say “it was the best two years” or “it changed my life”, because what happens in those two years is some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. You also have some of the happiest times and the saddest, but you learn how to lean on the Lord to have faith in him and your Heavenly Father, to listen and follow the answers you receive, and then the quest becomes how can I become more obedient so I can receive promptings more frequently. One great thing the Mission is teaching me is how to change my will so that it is consistent with the will of the Father. I honestly think that is a life long goal, because I am far from it. But at least I am on the latter going the right direction.

One thing I really want is that at the end of my mission everyone will see a difference in me, because I don’t think anyone goes on a mission not to change. Besides that, this church is a Church of change and I ‘m not speaking of principles or the Gospel, but of the members. After all that is why we are here, to learn to grow and to change.

I am so very grateful for the restored Gospel in my life. My favorite part of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of God is that I can make it back home into the presence of God with my family. I love knowing that I can obtain this kingdom of glory. It all depends on what choices I make now in life. I have studied much about how I can keep from sin and I found out that an answer is virtue, all sins start in our minds, so if we can become the master of our minds and let virtue garnish or decorate our thoughts unceasingly, very few thoughts will develop into sin. I see virtue as a thought filtering system it keeps our thoughts clean and pure.

I think studying the gospel is like an Astronomer, He first looks at the stars with his eyes but is curious to know more. So, he gets binoculars and looks again only to realize there is so much more to learn. Then, he looks through a telescope, then through a satellite telescope and realizes that the more knowledge that he gains, the more there is to learn.

Well, sorry this letter isn’t very proper it kind of skips all over the place. Well, better get going. I love you all.

Love,
Elder Schmidt

07/06/09 Email

Hey Everyone,
I hope you had a fantastic day of Independence! We had a BBQ at the church. I think that it was the only BBQ that I have ever been too, where they weren’t cooking ribs or hamburgers or hotdogs..... Bienvenue a France, welcome to France.

I had the opportunity to play the part as Joseph Smith in a play that all the Missionaries put on, about the first vision; it was great and everyone loved it.

I wanted to give you a challenge this week, I have been thinking what can I ask everyone back home to do that would help them progress, and it came to me this morning. It was reading an old conference addition Ensign. I learned so much, so my challenge is to read one talk a week from a former conference. I promise you will learn a lot. We need to study their words so we can follow them.

I love you all.

Love,
Elder Schmidt

06/29/09 My Week in Nancy

Hey Everyone,

Things are going great here in Nancy France, we have seen a lot of miracles here. We are getting are new mission President this Wednesday, so it all should be very interesting.

Oh, so this past Sunday we went to this really cool Families house, the family cuche and he decided to film me, cause they are going to be in Utah in like 15 days, and they wanted to meet you, Mom and Dad. I think that would be really cool, they will be staying in Bountiful. They are seriously the coolest family in France 7 children and the mother is partially blind; that is impressive. You should look her up on youtube her name is Maria Christian, she is Irish and she is a really good singer. So they might give you a call or something. They wanted to show you that video they made.

In other news this past week I had the opportunity to go to Epinal on an exchange and do a baptismal interview for two young children. It was so much fun, and it was very good for me cause I asked the children the questions, and they answered them with ease. So I even threw a couple curve balls at them, and they answered them as well it helped me see that even young children can understand the gospel and have a testimony of it. It was a wonderful experience.

Right after the baptisms of the two children there was this ball for everyone, one like… huge dance. My companion Elder Lepretre and I were there cause invited some investigators to come and we were there to welcome them. It was this huge stake shin-dig. Anyways, it was funny cause their where a couple of girls, or I should say groups of girls hitting on us... weird I know, its France they don’t have a big selection, so they take what they can get it. We are like….. “Well look at the time, we better get going, see you later.” I just thought that was funny cause they where saying things like “le francaise est tres mauche le plus belle launge est englaise”, that just means French is ugly and English is the best language. I was like….Well, back home it’s the opposite; what an interesting night.

Oh, here is a really good story. We have been teaching this less active family and there is a man that was excommunicated right after his mission. Let me tell you, the first time we met with him, he wanted nothing to do with us. Since then, he has been coming to church, and almost cries during every lesson. We explained that although being excommunicated is a bad thing, it is also one step closer to returning back on to the path. I think that gave him comfort. He called us the other day and said,” I talked with the branch president about me being rebaptised, I need to figure out what I need to do”. I love seeing miracles. He knows that the church is true and he is fighting his way back.

I love having the opportunity to be apart of this great work. Well just know that I love you all, and that things are going great here.

Love
Elder Schmidt

06/22/09 I'm on the Lords Errand

Hey Everyone,

The yard looks fantastic! I don’t think that I will even be able to recognize it. Oh, and by the way, that was my first time seeing a picture of the fifth wheel; it looks really nice. I really like the mailbox, where did you find it, it looks so…. real almost like it was growing right out of the ground. I bet it cost a lot cause I have never seen a tree mailbox before ha….ha….. Just joking. But the new one looks really nice.

This week has been fantastic! We had the baptism of Catharine Villaume this past Saturday and our next one is on July 12, with a woman named Sylvie; she is really cool.

Oh, so we had the opportunity to go and help teach English at this High School again. It, was so funny because they whisper stuff to each other like... “I think he is cute”, and they don’t think that we can speak French. Then you start to speak French with them, and they blush ha…ha. Oh, and let me tell you why they don’t think that we are weird. They wont let us wear our tags, or a tie, so you can see why. Anyway it was really fun.

It is the end of the transfer and me and Elder Lepretre will stay together so it is really cool. They made our zone like twice as big, because the mission is getting much smaller; so, they had to close a couple of zones. It’s been really crazy.

What else….Oh Happy fathers day dad! Thanks for all that you do for me. You really are the best dad a kid could ask for; I have three sisters and a brother that will testify to that. Thanks for every thing.

What else….I had the opportunity to play a little tennis, and I was a little rusty, but I still got it ha…ha, just joking. I pretty much just have my serve.

Well I hope that you all have fun at the West Fest. Next year I will be there with you all, ok… I promise ha-ha. But for know, I am on the Lords errand, and I have to work hard to return thanks for the great family that I have.

Well, I better get going, I love you all.

Love Elder Schmidt

06/15/09 This past week I saw many Miracles...

Hey Everyone,
Things have been going fantastic here in Nancy. We fixed a another baptismal date and, we have the baptism of Catharine this weekend; it’s going to be fantastic. Then, we have another baptism the following weekend. Let’s, just say that we have a lot of things to do between know and then.

So I have had some funny experiences this week, and I will try to tell you one. It started off on an exchange, with Elder Nicholiason. We where contacting through the park and I saw this black man and felt like I should talk to him. So I started in French, then he said (In a Brittish accent) “Do you speak English, and I said yes. It as pretty weird cause he was like maybe you can help me. He started going off about a near death experience, then he said, after this experience, I renamed myself SOLAR ANGEL. Then he said, I think I’m in the middle of being an angel and a human, but I cant arrive to fly yet...(while he said that he was trying to flap wings on his back). A lot of what we believe, he believed, like living with god before and that after we go to a spirit world; it was interesting. So we decided to run back and get him a book of Mormon in English, since we weren’t far from the apartment.

On our walk back we walked passed a group of young adults, and then this girl was walking by my side. I would speed up, and then so would she. It was weird. Then, she said, “what are you doing here”? And I said, “I’m from America, and she flipped out, and yelled back to her friends. Then she said, “Will you take me home with you, I didn’t know what to say, so I said I have ten more months before I go back. Then she said will you come back and get me? Then, in a desperate attempt, I was like… “Well, I have someone already”. She said, “ Oh, ok”, and ran back with her friends. The Elder I was with was like “What did she say”, so I explained it to him. He thought it was funny. Anyway, all this happened within a half an hour, and I was thinking in my head “GOD BLESS AMERICA” ha ha.

On another note, in this same day, I had a Rendezvous with one of our amis, and we taught her that Gospel of Jesus Christ. She said, “When I was praying the other day, felt this peace come over me, and I felt like I needed to be baptized.” So we fixed a date, and its really good cause she has a friend who introduced her to the church, so she has a good support system. We fixed a baptismal date with her, and she was more than content. So many good things are happening; Ii love seeing the Lords hand in the work.

We also had a family that has been less active for like 20 years call us up and said we want to come back. When we arrived there was three less actives and an investigator, and they all want to learn. The investigator Jessie, is doing everything we are asking him. This work is great I know that it is the work of the Lord and that he is directing it.

I better get going. Just know that this past week was great, and that I saw many miracles. The church is true.

Love,
Elder Schmidt

06/08/09 This is really the work of the Lord, and we are really tools in his hands

Hey,
Things are going great here in Nancy. This week I had the opportunity to go to Geneva on Exchanges with the assistants, it was really good. We walked passed this one man and we decided to try and talk to him, he was catholic and he was preparing for his communion. We where talking about the plan of salvation to him, it didn’t really interest him, but for some reason right before we where about to say good bye, it popped into my mind to ask him if he heard about the Book of Mormon. He said, “yeah I have one. I was like “really”, have you read it? He said, “I’m half way through Mosiah”; I was shocked. Then I asked, “how did you obtain one”, and he said, “Well, like I said, “ I am in the middle of preparing for my communion, and I was walking through the park, and I saw this book sitting on a bench, so I picked it up and started to read about it. In the end he didn’t want to fix a rendezvous, but we both bore testimony that the book of Mormon was true, and that he should pray about it to know. This experience helped me see that this is really the work of the Lord, and we are really tools in his hands. Maybe we where just at that place to tell him that he needed to pray about it, to know if it was true; w gave him our card.

Another thing that was really cool was, this same day we where teaching a lesson and this lady had a problem with God having a body and also the creation Adam and Eve. When we where teaching her, a scripture popped into my head, and I said, “Read this chapter, it will give you your answer, and to tell you the truth I didn’t know that it would. So yesterday, I read that chapter, and it really did answer the questions she was asking. I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost, because let me tell you I am not the type of missionary that can tell you where to find everything in the book of Mormon, I wish I was. But, what I know is I was prompted to say something, and if she reads it, she will get her answer.

Well, I better get going, I love you all.

Love,
Elder Schmidt

06/02/09 Things are great in Nancy

Hey everyone,

How are things going back home, I hope fantastic. Things have been going great here in Nancy. We have four baptismal dates and we just came from a rendezvous; I taught the importance of prayer. It went really good and it was one of those times where some story from the bible pops into your head, for some unknown reason and I seems to just work out like that’s what they need.

I did have a terrible rendezvous this week. We where at members house, and we where teaching the last half of the plan of salvation, and we came to the kingdoms of glory. I had a thought or rather a prompting to teach this in the most simple way that I possible could, and I taught every thing like you would teach it to the kid. Then all of a sudden the good old member pops in, and says no joke “that’s not at all what its like”, and he said “they only told you three of them”, and then he went on to explain outer darkness. I was like… “Be quiet please”. He went into very specific detail, and I just wanted out. That was one of those lessons, but they happen.

What else happened… I didn’t really take a preparation day, and I really don’t like to do that cause then I get grumpy. All in all, it wasn’t too bad.

There isn’t really much to do here in Nancy. It’s an ok city as far as looks, and I am enjoying it. I will go to Genève tomorrow for our exchanges with the assistants, and I think it should be really good.

It sounds like things are still moving forward back home, and I wish I was there, but then again I bet you wish you where in France ha ha. Well, I don’t know what else to write, we don’t really have too much time ever, we are always moving. Just know I love you all, and I will write a letter on the train to Geneva.

Love,

Elder Schmidt

05/25/09 The Lord is really blessing people here

Hey Everyone,Things are going great here in Nancy. The Lord is really blessing the people here, and I am just thankful that I have the opportunity to be apart of it all. Elder Leprêtre and I have fixed two more baptismal dates, that brings the total to five baptismal dates, and three of them are strong. One thing that I notice everyday, is that it is not at all me in this work. In fact if it was left up to me and my ability the work would not progress. I do know that when we recognize our weaknesses, it is then, that the lord can help us. We can do things we never thought we could do by ourselves. We want to accomplish the task, but we need to ask our Heavenly Father for help, and then we can see its not by our own power, then we can return the thanks to our Heavenly Father. I can’t tell you all how many times I have felt inadequate to do a task that is given to me. I cant tell you how many times I have been able to accomplish it with the help of Heavenly Father. I love this work. I can say that I have done anything so difficult and time demanding as this work; sun up to sun down your on the clock. The other day I compared missions to escalators in terms of progressing, by going on a mission you take that first step onto the escalator, and just doing that will help us to progress. Then we have a choice to make, are we going to use the same amount of energy as not taking the stairs, and start to walk up the escalator, if you do this you will progress twice as quick. I want to be the missionary that puts forth the effort, even though it is harder than just standing there and progressing at a steady pace. I know that by doing this I will become stronger! Hopefully you understood that, it made sense to me at the time. I love you all so very much. Love,Elder Schmidt

05/18/09 Darn Busy!!!

Hey Everyone,How are you doing? So let me tell you, we have been so darn busy. There is so much stuff to do as a zone leader. So far we have 3 baptismal dates; one is really strong and one will probably fall, but we are going to fix a couple more next week. I have contacted two or three people this last week cause we have nothing but rendezvous. I feel like I’m in Mexico. Yesterday Elder Leprêtre and I gave talks in the branch here and we also gave a fireside afterward. I was so darn tired at the end of the day. The good news is one of the members gave a book of Mormon to his friend, and he has been reading it. He says that he feels something different when he reads it, and he said he wants to be baptized. So we are going to go out and teach him. I think I came from desolation, to the land of promise ha…ha. Oh let me tell you, my companion was baptized two 3 years ago, and he really knows how to teach; I am learning a lot. Well everyone, I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week. LoveElder Schmidt

Nancy France

Here's where Nancy France is