pics cause even tho we're missionaries, we're also models

CUMRIPSUA KROM KRUASSA HAUY SOKKSABAAY!!!!!

I hope all of your week was amazing!!! here at the MTC, lifes great. The people are great, the lessons are great, the learning is great, and the food is sub-par haha. it was a pretty busy week!! we changed classrooms so had to say cumriplea to our building. but our new building is good too! were on the same floor as the tai's and the koreans so fun!! basically my zone is tiny cause its just 10 tais and 10 cambos. so sacrament meeting is hilarious, and all the girls fit into one classroom, but its also amazing cause were all tight. like i thought i had a big family, then i came on my mission, and now have 20 amazing brothers and sisters and its the BEST. 

more exciting news: we got a new elder that came to the mtc a year ago, and then went home, but is back so were ecstatic!! defintiely something to celebrate. except hes WAY better at khmae than any of us lol so all during class/study time we ask him questions and its happy. 

best part of the week: so i love vocal point, but have a newfound love for byu mens chorus. they came for devo on sunday and it was beautiful because we learned and worshipped and felt gods love as they sang the entire time. so uplifitng. They sang I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go. What an amazing song. the 4th verse says, "so trusting my all, to thy tender care". Wow. What an amazing reminder. So I've been working on giving up literally everything-my hopes, my dreams and also my fears and my wants. And how blessed are we that we dont just have to put them aside, but we get to know that it is all being taken care of in his watching, caring eye. I'd like to challenge all of you to think about some things that you feel like you are holding on to, that you maybe feel like you cant give up because you only trust yourself to take care of them, to give those worries, those hopes to heavenly father. He will take care of them, and you. You will find an added sense of his ever abiding love, of his constant spirit, as you turn to him and trust him with your all. 

Sometimes, i look at all the effort and time and money that is put into the mtc and into preparing missionaries, and it amazes me because i know all of this-the sacrifice, the trials, the learning and growing, and streching, and breaking down and rebuilding-is not for the the church, or for god, or for us, its for the souls searching for Christ. There are so many people all around the world, wanting, desiring, searching for something they may not even know they are searching for. And this-all that we do here, all that we sacrifice, all the afflicitions we suffer, are so that maybe even just one can have the chance to be come to christ. alma 26:30-31 explains this beautifully. i have loved being able to know that what i am doing-all that i am trying to do, is for them. sometimes the language feels impossible, and im sick of my comps, and all i want to do it sleep. but i am reminded, esp through this scripture, that all of what i am doing is because the most important thing is to bring people to christ. so grateful for all the amazing examples i have seen in my life of people bring others to christ, either through their example or their service. 

shoutout to my little bro for turning 15! 

I hope you all have the happiest week!! 

love sis smith

weekly bei

hi family and friends!! this week has been absolutely fantastic for so many reasons!! we have 2 investigators right now and i love both of them so so much!! om toam is my favorite! hes this old man and hes so cute! but this week was the first time that we were able to talk to him and understand what he was saying. usually we ask him a couple questions and then have 0 idea what he says, but because we understood his struggles and thoughts and worried, we could cater our lesson exactly to him. i know the holy ghost really guides us. we were able to change our entire lesson on the spot to respond to what he told us about our life. the holy ghost truly guided me mind to remember the phrases and the words in khmae that i needed to help this old man. it was beautiful.

the FUNNIEST thing happened this week. literally died for like 20 minutes. so at the beginning of every class we sing a song and pray all in khmae, which has been a special struggle the last week as we just started the script. so every day, we hold open the hymn books and just hum cause we cant read the script at all, let alone fast enough to sing lol. so we were singing, and halfway through, i realized i wasn't even on the right page. it was hilarious. 

I learned so much this week!!! probably the coolest thing that i keep learning about it the atonement-the enabling power is so real. alma 7:11-12 is probs one of my fav scriptures ever cause esp this week i was getting so down on myself for not being better in the language. but honestly, the lord doesn't care about my language ability. he care about me letting him help me. he knows exactly what i need and how i need it. he knows exactly how to succor me according to my infirmities and i am so so grateful for that.

thanks all for your support and prayers! 

love sis smith

pics of my sisters + INCREDIBLE zone leaders

weekly pii

Hi Fam, 

THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE. This has been the happiest hardest best week of my life (i said that last week, ik, but it keeps getting better, no joke. ill probably be translated week brambuan (9)). 

guys seriously, the mtc is the greatest. i am learning so much about planning. we literally plan eveything-like down to the minute. its crazy. like ive always been pretty good about planning my day-but this is a whole new level hahaha also the coolest scripture that really drives this point home is ecc 3 which is all about how there is a season for all things. i know weve all heard that tons of times, but really. whatever you are doing now-going to school, preparing for a test, working a busy shift, etc ect it will end. but for now, you need to give it you all. so do whatever you are doing at this moment to the best ability that you can, because it wont last. 

wow. another thing ive really learned is how to measure and keep track of progress. always in high school, i would have a few hours of hw, and measure about how much i still need to go. but ive learned that actually we need to measure how far weve come. god doesnt send us to earth and then expect us to keep telling ourselves oh wow, we have only gotten so far. we should measure ourselves from where we began.  he takes us where we are and teaches us at our pace. he is proud of wherever we are as long as we keep moving forward. isnt that beautiful??!!!

also. lololz the language is so so hard. khmae is the hardest thing ive ever had to do. the entire first week we learned a new romanization that the mtc created as a bridge between english and khmae, which was crazy enough cause we dont even have the letters to desribe the vowels they have. and this week we started learning the script and its CRAZY. the gift of tongues is so real. theres no way that i could teach a lesson let alone say a single sentence but the atonement makes up for that too. 

probably the most suprisingly wonderful thing that i have learned is that the spirit is our constant tutor about literally everything. the holy ghost can teach us a new language while also giving us answers to personal questions or concerns while explaining a doctrinal questions while teaching us how to be better missionaries. its so cool. they teach us everything in the language, so even if we dont understand the exact words our teachers are saying, the spirit tells us what we need to know. probably the biggest challenge is pushing through even when you know nothing and are so mentally and physically exhausted. but that also goes along with the biggest miracle ive seen. the atonement is the happiest. because even when its been the longest day, and we still have a 3 hour class that night, and all i want to do is sleep (lol all the time) the atonement makes up for our lack of energy, and i dont know how, but everyday i feel energy that i know is not coming from me. guys, god is so good. 

one of my favorite things about the mtc is that it is getting warmer and warmer outside so we can study and listen to music and its so happy. also everyday for gym, 2 other girls in my district that i am super close with jog around the track. we call ourselves the moms and its theraputic plus fun plus were staying fit with all the food that is shoved at us every meal. so thats a triumph. 

probably my favorite part of the entire week was getting a new teacher. for the first week we stumbled through teaching lessons with this investigator, who is from cambodia, and still learning english. pretty sure he didnt understand a word we said lol. but i loved this guy. he was so kind and just wanted happiness and to know about christ. i prayed for him every night-for him to come to christ but also for him to learn english and to bless him family cause they are all still in cambodia. AND THEN. they told us we werent going to be teaching Viasna anymore for whatever reason, and we were all so sad cause we had grown to love him. and GUESS WHAT. that night we had class, and HE WALKS IN AND WE ALL SCREAM CAUSE HES ACTUALLY OUR TEACHER AND HE WAS JUST PRETENDING. that was the happiest also the funniest cause hes from lehi and they all kept it a secret from us and its weird cause now hes teaching us but i love it so much. 

ok. this is probs the longest email ive ever written ever ever ever. so sorry. 

but thanks for all your prayers (pls dont stop lol i need them all hahaha) 

i hope you all have a happy week!!

sister smith (sistee smit)

Tell me more about Bruce and his girlfriend!! also about the condo:) 

God is good-preah l?aa

I love the gospel-khnom srolan domnung l?aa

HEYYYYYYY

wow. hi friends. i love you all so much. it has been the best week ever! like probs my fav week ive ever had. so much happiness and the spirit is always so strong!

guys. khmae is CRAZY. luckily we have the best teachers!! we have 3 of them, one from cambodia, who learned english cause she served a mission in WA, and 2 brothers. they are so kind and so helpful and supportive even though it take us a million times of repeating until we understand. haha. the language is so hard, but the gift of tongues is so real. ok ok i have to share one of the best scriptures with you all. its beautiful. DC 90:11 God loves his children all so much that he goes to the effort of training members to learn how to teach, and how to speak different languages, so that everyone can hear the gospel in their own language. how cool??!!! 

in my district, there are 6 elders and 5 sisters. i am in a comp trio, and its been fantastic so far. all of these ladies are beautiful and BRILLIANT. so thats nice cause always during class if i dont understand something i can just lean over and they know the answer haha:) 

Also its so happy here!! one thing i want to challenge all of you to do is to pray more often. that is how we show god we are willing to recieve and act on revelation. also we cant develop a relatioship unless we communicate! so pray always. he wants to hear from you. he wants to give you want you want. 

love love love you all. have a happy week:)

sis smith

The MTC adventure begins...

Hey Mom and Ross!!

Just wanted to send a quick email to let you know I made it safely and I love you tons! They started talking to us in Cambodian within a half hour of arriving. And all of our instruction is in Cambodian soooooo pray for me:) But I am so so happy. It's amazing here! I love love love it. 

Have a good day!! 

Love, Hannah