Hi fam, this week was amazing! it was a super super busy week. right now, our President and Sister Christensen are preparing to leave (tomorrow) and so were getting everything ready for the new mission president, and 16 missionaries left last week, and we got 6 new missionaries, and had training and meeting on meeting on meeting for everything. hopefully in a week, ill be able to take a breath. 

but its actually been way fun. i have a new companion, Sister Clark. She's also from Utah and shes way cool! weve already had a blast and its only been 4 days. 

*FUNNY* Sister Clark and I were riding our bikes to the church to meet with an investigator, and theres this man (kinda old-uncle age) and hes riding this moto. and theres this classic moto that all those men ride, so i turn to sister clark-speaking khmer AND I SAY I LIKE UNCLE which he heard and he turns around and starts laughing, and i stop in the middle of the sentence because i realize he heard so it doesnt even make sense and then i realize it wasnt just some random guy (which would be nice cause khmers think all us white people are crazy already) but he actually is a recent convert and im teaching his daughter, so that was all super awkward. 

i dont have a lot of time, but i want to share a quick thought with you all. 

im learning a lot about true happiness. ive been out on my mission almost 17 months. and in the time, ive helped a couple of people prepare and recieve baptism in my different areas. and that was SO HAPPY. i remember just being filled with so much love and joy and gratefulness that god allowed me to be a part of his incredible plan. and now, a year, or 8 months later, i still keep in contact with them. and i feel even a deeper joy, as they tell me about their plans to serve missions, to go to the temple. and i think thats where the true happiness comes in. when people we love and know, come closer to their happiness, come closer to god and his plan for them. through this im learning a lot about how god must feel towards us, his investigators. as well as i know my inv, as much as i love them, as much happiness i feel for them coming closer to god, i cant imagine how happy He is when we come closer to Him. theres this quote that i think perfectly sums up this thought,  "I testify there is no greater goal in mortality than to live eternally with our Heavenly Parents and our beloved Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is more than just our goal—it is also Their goal. They have a perfect love for us, more powerful than we can even begin to comprehend. They are totally, completely, eternally aligned with us. We are Their work. Our glory is Their glory. More than anything else, They want us to come home—to return and receive eternal happiness in Their presence." -elder ballard i know that our happiness truly is gods happiness, and as we follow Him, we can have that happiness. 

anyways, i love you all! and i hope you all have a great week\

sis smith