The greatest experience yet...
I had a wonderful week! The best on the mission so far. Thank you to everyone who sent me words of encouragement throughout the week! Since I have an IPad I can read emails throughout the week and the emails really helped me this week, so thank you.
So first of all I love service. We have service at the Queens Botanical Gardens. We usually mulch things, plant flowers all the gardening stuff. I just love it, because as you are serving you are also having fun and bonding with the whole zone and the workers. I love talking to them and seeing where they were from and their life.
Wednesday I had a faith changing experience from someone who wasn't even from our church. His name is Joseph. We met him on the street and he agreed to a lesson. During our lesson he told us about his story and how he came to know God. He ran into some trouble in his early years and was facing some things, (I don't want to go into detail because this is his story). Through this hard time he could feel his faith growing by the minute stronger and stronger. He said from that moment on he put his life in God's hands. This man has the faith and love of God that is genuine and real.
He works with the youth at his church. He is very involved with his church, but the thing that I love is that he is open he wants to learn more even though he is involved in his own church. He was in awe when we taught him about prophets here on earth today. He said, "here!?! Today!?" "the thing is you don't know him right? He wouldn't reveal himself to us right?" We said we actually do know him and his name is Thomas S. Monson. He sat there in total awe for a time. The power of our message is true, it is unique, revelation is unique, The Book of Mormon is unique and special, we have living Prophets on earth today, and people need to know that! I asked him to be baptized and he said, "If God tells me, and if this true, and God really wants me to, then I will do it." This man inspired me, his trust in God is powerful. He has obligations in his own church, but he trusts God to direct him anywhere. He really touched me.
Now for the big thing. I got to shake Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's hand! We had a mission wide conference and Elder Holland came to speak to us. It is a rare occasion for an apostle to come and speak to a mission. Over my companions mission he didn't see one apostle so this was special.
He came in, we took a picture with him, and then we all got to shake his hand. He later says that he wants to shake the missionaries hands because it is his chance to have a short 10 second personal interview with each one of us. He says he wants to look into our eyes and see our soul and the goodness of our hearts.
Having an apostle there that close and then to talk to a audience of only 200 people was powerful. Later on he had a mic and came down with us and did a Book of Mormon study with us about the importance of 1 Nephi 1 and how it is exactly like Joseph Smith's story.
"Lehi is a prophet, he prays, he has a vision where he sees Christ and Angels, there is a book, he gives praise, there is destruction, he is rejected, and people want to kill him. That itself is a testimony of all prophets. The most important chapter for investigators is chapter 1. Isn't it interesting that the Book of Mormon starts out this way? Already with a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith? Thousands of years before he was even born."
So I will tell you some things he told us, and when I put exclamation marks that is Elder Holland doing his Elder Holland thing where he is very powerful and almost yelling the things that he knows and has a strong desire about.
"I love you for coming out here and being big people, we need big people, and we need your help."
"But this is not about you... This is about a young boy who saw God the Father and his son."
Elder Holland feels very strongly about his mission, what it did for him, and how it changed his life forever. He told us this: it is what hit me the hardest during the meeting.
"Missionaries always say in the mission field 'oh when I go back to real life and do this and this.'" " I care about you for the rest of your life!" "Listen!!! This is Real Life with a capital R and a capital L! This is as close to Real Life that you will get! If you go back and become what you were before! Then Shame on You!! And Shame on Me!! I want to see You! A Captain Moroni standing in conviction, testifying, and teaching that this (mission) meant something to you!!"
"The Book of Mormon is revelation about revelation. We don't have a message if people don't believe in revelation. God speaks to man! This Book is the greatest missionary tool. There is wonder, a Majesty, and Spirit in that Book."
Sorry for the long email, but I was just so touched this week. And honestly had so many answers from God given to me. Thank you all for everything you do for me! I love you all! Have a great week!!
-Elder Smith
This is a pic of another missionary that Elder Lee trained, his name is Elder Smith kind of funny he got to train 2 Smith's.
