June 23 - Last week with Sister Yenchik.

Sister Yenchik, Alma and me.

So this will be brief but I am... not getting transferred! Sister Yenchik is though so I will get a new companion tomorrow. I will miss Sister Yenchik so much though, she has been such a great companion and friend!

This week has been awesome and we have seen tons of blessings! I tried to talk a lot of pictures so hopefully that helps you better "see" what we were up to. Overall the spirit was really powerful in our lessons this week and we have meet tons of awesome new people. It has gotten SUPER hot here (like 105+) every day! I didn't know it could get so hot but we have managed to continue to work hard. Lots of water and sunscreen have been helping. My favorite scriptures of the week is 2 Nephi 4:27-30, you should go look it up and let me know what you think.

Keep being awesome and know that you are loved!

Love ya, Sister Lexy Smith  

We made avocado pie as a district on pday. YUM!

Pomegranate  Bush.

 

S

Our Gratitude Wall.

Our apartment. 

Andales-Best Mexican Restaurant!

All the sisters in our Zone.

Last District meeting with Sister Yenchik.

June 17th

What a crazy week we had!!

It started with exchanges with the Picacho Sisters Tuesday night and Wednesday. I got to go with Sister Field and in their area for the day. She is a really hard worker but they aren't teaching many people which meant we got to wander around in the heat most of the day trying to find people to talk to. Sister Field has had a bad cough lately so by the time dinner rolled around she was exhausted! A super nice couple from the ward took us out to eat but we ended up leaving early so she could go home and sleep since she was feeling so bad. While she slept I got to read conference talks from the May Ensign until Sister Yenchik and Sister Molding returned. 

Thursday Sister Field stayed with a member so she could continue to rest so Sister Molding got to join Sister Yenchik and I! We had a lot of fun teaching together. That night all of the sisters in the ward met at bishops house for dinner and we got to go too! Our investigator Brittany came, as well as a less active sister we have come to love named Lorrin. It was so fun to get to see them have such a good time with all of the other sisters. After dinner we headed over to campus where we got to help a girl named Nancy pack up to go home to Jordan. She had been the roommate of one of the less actives that we used to visit and we had given her our number in case she ever needed any help and she actually called us!!! None of the students ever need help with service so it was really fun to get to help her clean and pack as we talked about religion. 

Friday we had a Zone Training Meeting where we met with all the other missionaries from Las Cruces and the surrounding areas. Sister Molding said something that really struck me during the meeting. She said that the motto of Christs life was "People can change; I bet my life on it." Christ literally gave up his mortal experience so that we could have the chance to change (or repent). He knew that we could do it no matter how hard it would be. I also really liked when Elder Hicken, one of our zone leaders, said "Consecration is the only surrender that ends in victory." So true. After the meeting we got to go on exchanges with Alamogordo Sisters! I went to Alamogordo with Sister Clark and we had a fantastic day! We had an awesome Plan of Salvation lesson and dinner with the Irvine family. Then we went to see Melanie, one of their investigators. She wasn't home when we got there but we called her and she said she would be home any second. Sister Clark felt prompted to go try and visit a less active member that lived nearby while we waited. When we got there the door was wide open and people were inside, so inspired! It turned out the less active had moved but we got to talk to Marcus who is going to be a senior in high school and said he would be up for meeting with missionaries! After talking with him we went back to Melaines where we had an awesome spirit filled lesson! She knows everything so well and is just working on quitting smoking before she is baptized! 

Saturday morning Sister Clark and I got to visit Mary Lou and her daughter Summer. Summer was baptized a couple of months ago but Mary Lou is working on officially getting married to her boyfriend before she is baptized. We got to read the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis in the Book of Mormon. That story is one of my favorites because once the people were converted to the Lord they buried their weapons deep in the earth and repented of their past transgressions. What an inspiring story! We don't have to let temptation stay near us where it is in close reach but we can bury it where we don't have to be tempted anymore! 

Sunday we started a 40 day fast where we work on becoming more Christ like. I am so grateful for the opportunity we have each day to work on our weaknesses and make them into strengths!

Monday we had an awesome experience as we were walking outside. We were walking by an appartment complex and a guy outside stopped us wanting to apologize. Apprently we had talked to him on campus a couple of weeks before and he had been in such a rush that he didn't have time to talk to us. We got to talking to him and found out that he was raised Christian but has since fallen away but wants to become a better person again. We were able to teach him and his friend about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he committed to meeting with us again and coming to church without us even asking! He is so prepared for the gospel!! 

I just love being a missionary because it makes me so happy to get to share this message with everyone we meet. I hope you all had a great week.

All my love,
Sister Lexy Smith 

Hello!
This week has been a really busy one because we had a zone conference in El Paso on Tuesday and then a Missionary Leadership Council in Albuquerque on Thursday. So we didn't get to spend as much time in our area as we would like but it was still a great week with lots of learning! One of the things that they focused on was having the faith to "get out of the boat", or our comfort zone, so that then the Savior can help us to do so much more than we could ever do on our own. That is something I have really come to know to be true being out here. I would never on my own have had the courage to leave friends and family to go talk to tons of people I don't know about the gospel. But because I put my trust in the Savior he has given me the strength to do just that! I am honestly so grateful for how my mission had stretched me into more of the person that God would have me be.

I think the highlight of this week was that we had two investigators come to church. One of them, her name is Brittany, had had a falling out with another church in town so when we first met her she said she wasn't ready to come to church. But in less than a month she decided on her own to come and this was her first Sunday there! She seemed to really enjoy everything but when one of the members went up to say the closing prayer she looked really happy... Come to find out she had worked with the member and was just really excited to know that he went to this church too!

I have come to love the people here so much! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve them and get serve the Lord. I love all of you and I hope you have an excellent week!

Love,
Sister Lexy Smith

May and June 3rd Letters

Lexy with her Birthday Cup Cake.

June 2

Another wonderful week here in sunny Las Cruces New Mexico!

Wednesday: We had exchanges with Sister Karl and Sister Haywood in Rio Grande! I got to go to their area and spend the day with Sister Haywood. She is a fabulous missionary and literally has NO fear. I didn't know it was possibly to talk to that many people in one day! When we went in for dinner there was a lady walking past the apartment complex so we stopped to talk to her. She started crying and asked us how we knew she needed us. She then explain that she is going through a really rough time and had felt completely alone until we talked to her. I know that God know her needs and that he put us in her path for a reason. I am so grateful that we were willing to take the time to talk to her instead of just heading in. Later that night we got to watch the Prophet of the Restoration video with some recent converts. The spirit filled my heart as we watched the touching story of those who were willing to sacrifice so much for what they knew to be true. During the prayer before we left I had an overwhelming feeling that this message is true, that the fullness of the gospel has been restored and that it is worth any price to receive the blessings of the priesthood in our lives.

Thursday: Another great day :)

Friday: After district meeting we started exchanges with Hermana Calloway and Hermana Escalante in Miranda South! I got to spend the day in our area with Sister Calloway. She is such a great teacher! So simple and concise! We got to share the message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all three of our lessons. I love sharing that message because it is so apparent to me that God loves us and wants us to know how to return to him.

Saturday: We finished exchanges Saturday morning but before doing so we talked to the most interesting guy on campus. He was fishing at the pond with his nephew. When we started talking to him he kept acting like he though we were going to judge him for not being religious but when we didn't he just looked confused and kept on talking until he finally told us about some of the spiritual experience he has had that have helped him to realize that there must be a God. Even though he wasn't interested in meeting with us we defiantly left a good impression and I know that he felt Gods love for him through us. Later when we met with Sheng he told us he don't want to keep meeting with us which was heartbreaking but I was strangely at peace with it. I know that he has felt the Spirit and he even said himself that he wants to live a better life because he met us.

Sunday: Being in a singles ward is really fun because we had two couples get engaged this week! But even more than that I loved getting to hear everyone's testimonies (every first Sunday of the month anyone can get up to share their testimonies of the gospel). It is just such a blessing to know that the Christ is our Savior and that the fullness of his gospel has been restored.

I just love being a missionary and I hope you had a great week too!

Love ya,
Sister Lexy Smith

Sister Smith and Sister Yenchik

May 27

Another fantastic week! I love New Mexico: the people, the weather, and serving the Lord. I am so grateful for the perspective I have gained this week; each week I seem to learn more and more about myself, the Savior and the gospel. This life is so short and I am so grateful for the comfort I gain for the gospel, knowing that this life is not the end. There is so much more, we are so much more than we could ever imagine.

This week we had exchanges with the Sisters from Hatch and I got to stay here with Sister Oxley. She is an awesome missionary and I learned so much from her! Because she is super fearless we literally talked to everyone we met on campus. There were a couple of times when someone would walk past us and we weren't able to talk to them so she would turn around and go back over and talk to them. Every time they had had some connection with the church in the past, it was amazing! I hope I can become an awesome missionary like her someday.
Friday night there were awesome thunder clouds with lightening. As we planned for the next day we looked out the window and just watched the storm, it was beautiful. I was reminded of the scripture where Moses says he realizes that he is nothing.
During our exchange we had planned a lesson with our investigator Brian but an hour before we still didn't have anyone to come with us (we have to have 2 males or 1 female come with us when we meet with male investigators). Finally we were able to find a member that was willing to come but we still needed one more person to come. It was really humbling to have to pray and put the whole situation in the Lords hands. Afterwards we drove to the appointment and called Brian before going up. By no doing of our own, Brian had invited Carlos so we were able to have the lesson! I know that God answers prays and that he cares about all of our worries or concerns. He wants us to be happy and even though he won't give us everything we want He gives us what we need to become more like the Savior.

To end our exchanges we went with the Sisters to a place in Hatch, New Mexico, called Sparkys. They sell famous green chili cheeseburgers which are SO good! If you have never tried New Mexico green chili and a cheeseburger, you should.

Yesterday we set a goal to stick to our original plans and backup plans for the day. Our first lesson of the day canceled and our backup plan was to go around that neighborhood and talk to people out on the street. The neighborhood isn't super close to where we live so normally we would have just gone to campus to talk to people but we decided to go see what would happen. As we were walking we felt prompted to turn down a street we didn't know. Almost immediately a young man walked out of his house and we started talking to him. He was really interest in learning more about the gospel but was leaving to run errands so we got his number so we can keep in touch with him. Then further down the street we saw another guy outside. As we walked up we said hello and he seemed to recognize us. Lo and behold it was our investigator Jasper who we haven't seen in over a month and who doesn't even live in that neighborhood! What a major miracle and blessing! I am so grateful that we stuck to our plans, followed the promptings of the spirit and were able to get back in touch with him!

I love sharing the gospel because I know that it is true. No matter how hard it may be to be away from family and friends I am really grateful that the Lord trusted me enough to send me here. I hope you all have a fantastic week and know how much you are loved.

Much love,

Sister Lexy SmitH

May 20

What a week! We had so much going on, it was awesome! This week was transfers and as Sister Training Leaders we get to go help make sure that all of the Sister get to where they are supposed to go. It is awesome to see that the missionaries here are so willing to go where the Lord sends them. I am really excited to get to spend another transfer with Sister Yenchik!

We got to go to the last Mission Prep class on Wednesday night and it was a really neat experience. The class consisted of mostly high school senior girls who want to serve missions. We all got to share our testimonies of the gospel and how it has changed our lives. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary because there is no where else I would rather be. I love getting to serve the Lord because I know this is His work and I feel the Holy Spirit testify that our message is true every time I get to share it. It is exciting to see so many young sisters that want to go on missions! 

This week we have had several great lessons with Brian. He is sincerely searching for an answer from God so that he can know whether of not he needs to get baptized, it is really inspiring! We were able to teach him about the Word of Wisdom this week and we invited him live it. He had been drinking coffee before but since we invited him to go without it he hasn't had any more! He has been coming to church, reading the Book of Mormon and praying. Every time we meet with him the Spirit is really strong and I know that he will get his answer in the Lords time. I cannot wait for that day!

This week as I was reading the general conference talk by President Henry B. Eyring, A Priceless Heritage of Hope,I was really struck by something he said. He said: "Keeping our second estate depends on our making covenants with God and faithfully performing the duties they require of us. It takes faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior to keep sacred covenants for a lifetime." The purpose of this life, our second estate, is to make and keep covenants with God. There is no other purpose. That is the reason for our existence. To often we get caught up in the busyness of life and let the eternally important things sit on the back burner. Are we spending our time doing the Lords work? Or are we waiting our precious time doing things of no meaning?

Saturday we were able to go with two of our investigators and watch two people get baptized. The Spirit was powerful as we watched them make eternally important covenants with God. I am so grateful for their decisions because it has effected not only my life but the lives of both of our investigators that were able to come because they now have a greater desire to also be baptized.

I love all of you so much and I am so grateful for your love and support. I hope that you all have a great week and remember to rely on the Lord. Never forget his love for you.

All my love,
Sister Lexy Smith

May 13

Another fantastic week here in sunny Las Cruces!

Normally we to say goodbye to members and investigators because we are the ones leaving the area but this past week we have had to say goodbye because most of them are going home now that the NMSU semester is over. It's really strange to still be here but have most of them gone.

But even with more than half of the people we know leaving we still had a really great week! We were able to help those that are leaving get in touch with the missionaries elsewhere; I am so grateful that the church is the same no matter where you go!

We even had two of our investigators (Brian and Yomi) come to church on Sunday! It is amazing to see how their faith is beginning to grow as they read the scriptures and come to church. I love being able to see what great potential everyone has. We are all sons and daughters of God and as such we were never meant to be mediocre.

I think my favorite lesson of all though was with Marco and Hugo. Marco and Hugo are both from Ecuador and they are here in Las Cruces for the English program at NMSU so that they can eventually go back to their country and teach English. They are so humble and have such a great desire to serve God. When we first got there they told us about how they got to skype their mother back in Ecuador for mothers day. It was neat to get to relate to them and talk about how we are also far from our families. Marco seemed amazed and asked us if we could tell him how it was that we were so peaceful and so happy about sharing the gospel with strangers when we were far from our families. We were able to share with him how the gospel brings us and our families so much joy and that is why it is worth it to be far away; because we can share this joy with other people. After we taught them about Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Hugo asked if we could tell him more because he wants to know as much as he can! Marco wanted to know why it was important for him to go to church and after we explain the importance of going each week so that we can partake of the sacrament he immediately recognized how important it was and said he would be coming this week! They both committed to being baptized on June 7th and we are all so excited for that day to come! The spirit touched my heart and testified of truth. I know that this gospel is true and I know it can provide them with the peace and comfort they are seeking in this life.

I just love being a missionary. This truly is the best work. I hope you all have a great week! 

Happy Mothers Day!

Love,

Sister Lexy Smith

This week has been amazing! So many wonderful things happened!

First we has MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) in Albuquerque on Thursday, it was so inspiring! Two men for the Mission Office in Salt Lake came and lead the training. They focused a lot on fulfilling our purpose as missionaries by inviting others to act and come closer to Christ. They talked about how important it is for everyone to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost so they can endure to the end. I had never thought of it that way before. We cannot endure all of the trials of life without the guidance, peace and cleansing power of the Holy Ghost. That is why the gospel is so essential. With it we can have a greater hope for the future.

Then we had exchanges Friday and Saturday with the Sisters from Alamogordo. I got to go to Alamogordo with Sister Wilcock. It was such a great learning experience for the both of us. Friday we got to help a lady they are teaching clean and reorganize her new house. It was so fun to get to perform physical service. I have such a strong testimony of the power of service. Whenever you become self-centered or overwhelm, find someone to serve and I promise that it will help you to feel so much better. Sister Wilcock is such a great example of loving the people she serves. I could feel her love for them as we met with and helped them learn more about the gospel, and I know that they could feel it is well. Saturday morning we talk about finding those that God is preparing. Alamogordo is a really small place so it is easy to feel like you already know everyone. We set the goal of talking to 3 new people on our way to and from a lesson. The whole time I was praying really hard because I wanted this to be a good experience for Sister Wilcock. I wanted her to see that God really is preparing people to hear the message of the gospel and guess what happened... We talked to 5 new people, 3 of whom are interested in meeting with the Sisters! What a blessing!

Finally, we got to go to the Albuquerque Temple yesterday. I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to take time out of our busy schedules and go focus on the Lord. I know the temples our the Houses of the Lord. The Spirit touched my heart while we were there. I know God loves His children and He sees the infinite potential for good that we all have. He wants us to return to live with Him again. But only through the accepting the atonement of Christ is that possible. If we will follow Christ we can be made whole.

I love sharing the gospel with others because I know it is true. I have seen it change lives. I would invite everyone to live worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost. It will direct you if you let it. We chose if we will succeed or fail in this life. No one else has power over the decisions we make each and everyday. Chose to follow Christ and your life will be blessed.

All my love,
Sister Lexy Smit