Original Smith Family Lemonade!

Hello everyone! What a busy week! Things have been pretty steady over here, lots of tours, lots of buses, lots of teaching!

While serving at the Hill a group of about ten or fifteen walk in from Mexico. While in the back with the display of all the different languages of the Book of Mormons, one asked me if he could get a Tagalog and Polish Book of Mormon for his friends who were from countries that spoke those languages. "Of course," I replied firmly. Little did I know, everyone misheard me and thought that meant they could TAKE the Book of Mormons from the Book of Mormon display. After retrieving the Tagalog and Polish Book of Mormons I return to find about a third of those on the display gone with more being shoved into bags. As Joseph would have put it, "I cried in the anguish of my soul..." After explaining that we could not take the Book of Mormons from the display but rather there are some available in other languages we can give out if needs be, they begin to "make an order" of all the languages they wanted. French, Korean, Albanian, etc. Very much a "slapping forehead moment". Despite this, it was still a joy to speak Spanish with them and watch their faces light up when they saw Hermana on my nametag. The joys of being a visitors' center sister.

I've had some really amazing experiences in just the past few days of non-members coming into the sites. While at the Hill a man named Paul wandered in. I was on tour, so Elder Erickson, one of the senior couples greeted him and soon found out he had grown up in Seneca Falls, had attended the pageant when he was younger, and that was all he knew about the church. He was visiting a friend nearby and thought he might visit the Hill again and see what it was all about. Elder Erickson proceeds to spend two hours in the back room with him, basically giving him the first lesson. Elder Erickson then pops out and asks if Sister Canova and I would be able to teach him online. He isn't quite ready for missionaries to visit quite yet, but he is very curious indeed. MIRACLES.

I just recently gave a tour at the Hill as well of three men from Hawaii. They lived in Port Gibson (part of my old area in Newark) and when I start explaining I served where he lived he goes on to say, "I think you may have knocked on my door..." Soon come to find a friend of his who was a member let him know about the sites and said they were always willing to give free tours, and so they thought, "why not?" Such a cool experience to give them a "tour of the Restoration". There is no greater feeling than telling people about these things--which have become so real to me and such an instrumental part of who I am--about it all for their very first time.

In the scriptures it says, "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." What a joy it is to hold the message of the Restoration up as a light. When the Book of Mormon was being published a man named Luther Howard owned the second floor of the Grandin building--the binding room. He got the chance to read pieces of the Book of Mormon before they were available to the public, and was so impressed he started recommending it to his friends. Unfortunately a local newspaper rebuked him for this and Luther stopped speaking. It's a sad story, and what miracles could have proceeded if Luther had not been deterred by man, we many never know. True faith is not trumped by rejection, fear, or in site sister terms, an uninterested guest. ALWAYS proclaim. ALWAYS invite. ALWAYS hold His light up.

-Hermana Abreu

1.Chill'n Grill (fine dining in Palmyra) Ice Cream
2.By the huge Book of Mormon (Sister Canova is tall, as most have probably noticed, so the branches were in her face)
3. Posing as Moroni beside the Peter Whitmer home after dark
4. As a late birthday treat we got Lucy's (a.k.a Mother Smith's) obviously original lemonade at the LDS store beside the Grandin. New favorite.
5. Treasure trove in the original Smith family refrigerator

Teach the Multitudes, Reach the ONE

First of all, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! You all made it a very memorable one indeed! Also memorable, having the chance to serve at the Smith Farm on that day. Everyone made it a very special day. The VCT's bought a little lemon pound cake and sang happy birthday. One of the senior couples, the Ericksons, made a very large dinner with lemon cheesecake as a dessert (tell people you like lemon things and it gets spread out around fast), but it made for a very delicious time! Even better was this was the first time we did park mode. There were five tour buses coming all at once so we gathered all the sisters and "parked" them at different spots, then rotated. I was parked outside the log home, then inside the log home upstairs in the room where Moroni came to Joseph. We simply yelled at people and gathered them around, then told them a few stories outside or inside the homes. Wow, what an experience. VERY hot and VERY tiring, but VERY gratifying. To be able to teach the Restoration to hundreds at a time...there is no greater feeling.

Another momentous occasion that is occurring! They are currently setting up for pageant outside on on the Hill, and I am FREAKING out. AAAAAH!! It's coming faster than I ever thought possible.

Pretty funny experience: One morning Sister Andersen (a sister I live with) didn't have enough time to make the rice she was planning on bringing for the day. I came to her rescue and said, "no worries, don't you know all rice can be made in the microwave?" (BIG FAT LIE) Later, while both serving at the Grandin they went to dinner and just a few minutes later the smoke alarm goes off. Yup, their rice had caught fire. All of us were filtered out, and the Grandin building smelled like smoke for the next week. Sometimes you just have to realize you are an idiot, and move on with your life.

So...moving on! We finished New Sister Training at the Hill so that was lots of fun. As I'm looking at all these graduation pictures I kind of had a taste of my own little graduation for Sister Canova. She is now trained to give tours at each of the sites, so she's basically a pro. Elder Bradford also enlightened us a good deal about how to give tours at the Hill, and revolutionized my ideas about teaching to people's needs.

I've had my fair share of cool experiences with tours. I took a group of three families from Mexico, with very strong youth preparing to go on missions. Another HUGE group of people (it felt like it at least all squished in the log home), who I had the most AMAZING discussion with about the First Vision. Another group from Utah, originally from Mexico, with a foster daughter about twelve years old who had the strongest testimony of the restored gospel, and a non-member uncle. These are just a few. The only sad part about serving full time at the sites is creating these small little relationships with people, and then they are gone. Recently on a tour I extended an invitation, and a man said, "I've noticed at all these sites you all give us these challenges." I simply smiled, touching the plaque on my chest, "That's what these nametags are for, we invite others to come unto Christ."

When Heavenly Father appeared to the young boy Joseph in the grove, the Savior Jesus Christ at His side, he said "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son." It is a small detail often looked over. He called Joseph by name. Christ works in the same way His father does, and as seen in the scriptures, He often ministered to thousands of people at a time, but always reached the ONE. Stopping to speak with a woman who touched his cloak, ministering to the Nephite children, crying at his friend's Lazarus death. He works by ones, because He loves us individually. My purpose as a missionary here is to always be on the lookout for that ONE, to be that tool in our Father's hands to show that one whatever He wants me to show them in their time here. And so I will always be looking, always teaching, always inviting, which to be honest, can be taxing, but VERY worth it.

Thank you for everything you all do to keep cheering me on! I feel very loved, especially this week! I love you all!


1. Birthday cake at the Smith Farm!
2. Last p-day we went to a burger shack named Pops, not bad!
3. Waiting outside the Grandin for the firetruck--notice Sister Andersen's face
4. Finishing New Sister Training at the Hill
5. Jumping the fence and standing beside the recently mowed grass at the Smith Farm (if you look very closely you will see the lemons on my shirt, something I have come to love dearly)
6. Setting up for Pageant!
7&8. B-day package from home



Surprise P-Day!

Hello everyone!

So with the busy season coming inconsistent P-days have returned! But no worries, the VCT's have started to make the schedule for the whole transfer, so instead of surprising you all each week I'm just going to go ahead and tell you when my next P-days are. They are *drumroll*...June 15th, 21st, and July 1st.

I'm very to sorry to hear that Big Joe passed away. He was an amazing patriarch that was a wonderful example of charity and love. I'll definitely cherish the words of my patriarchal blessing a little more, as most of us who received blessing from him are. My prayers are with all my family!

The sites slowed down since Memorial day weekend, but not incredibly. There's simply some breathing space in between tours. We've switched over to the summer time schedule so we have 9-9's every day. One of my favorite things is after a long busy day, when it quiets down a little, the sun starts setting, and we are just able to feel the Spirit of the sites. I've said it before and I'll say it again, what a privilege it is to serve here.

Online work is going well! I am in contact with a woman named Isabella who is going through a pretty rough time in her life. One of the biggest lessons I've learned on my mission is that Heavenly Father won't necessarily calm the storm, but He will calm his children. On the phone with Isabella, our Father's love for Isabella filled my heart with barely any breathing room. He is SO aware of each of us.

We had zone conference this week, which a piece of was held in the sacred grove. Afterwards we were all encouraged to go into the grove and receive our own personal revelation. If there is anything I can say, it is that Jesus Christ is keenly aware of who I am, what I am struggling with, and is ALWAYS willing to work with me. Elder Bradford once made the comment that the closer we grow to Christ, the more aware we are of how imperfect we are. The scriptures even say it, "And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness." Ether 12:27. But through Him we can be made whole. It is OK to be imperfect, as long as we are leaning on our Savior to improve.

I've especially learned that after examining the prophet Joseph's life. Most are familiar with the story of how he received the plates. He visited with the angel Moroni at the Hill Cumorah where they were buried for four years before he was ready to receive them. Though, my favorite piece is his second year.

Joseph didn't know this would be a four year process, every year he went to the Hill he had full intentions of getting the plates. After being shut down his first visit (in a rather dramatic way) Joseph is now a big, strong, mature...18 years old. Happy go lucky, he walks to the Hill, lifts the stone lid, and takes the plates out...then looks in the rest of the box for any other treasures (If we were on a tour, imagine me shaking my head). When he looks back, the plates are gone. Panicked, he prays to know where they went. That's when angel Moroni appears and puts the plates back in the box. After talking with Joseph, the stone lid is slammed shut and Joseph is thrown back, left lying on his back in a pile of dead leaves. He rises, brushes himself off, then runs back home to his mother and family, to whom he cries, "I have not received the plates!" I image Lucy was there with her churned ice cream to comfort Joseph. (Disclaimer: Lucy did not churned ice cream, I just like to think I'm funny).

Just like the prophet, we are all in a growing process. Have patience, the Savior is there to guide you through the process.

I love you all! I hope you have a great week!
Hermana Abreu

P.S I will now be putting pictures at the end of emails with short descriptions because it's easier and I've succumbed to the ways of the mainstream missionary. Yet again, photo creds to sister Jacobsen and Sister Tucker and their fancy cameras. All thanks to a slow evening at the Smith farm.

1.Candid laughing
2. Companerisma! (Companionship in Spanish, but I have no tilde)
3.First Vision casually happening in the background/

4. Hermanas!
5. Model Status

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