Hermana Smartt

One of my very best friends is currently serving a mission in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ever since we were little she talked about how excited she was to serve a mission. I am amazed at her determination and her love for spreading the gospel. I wish everyone could have the chance to meet Sarah, she really is one of a kind. She is a ball full of laughter and joy, who constantly finds the positive aspects in life. She lifts my spirits so high when I am around her, oh how I love that girl!

I was reading some of her emails this morning and she totally changed my day today. Usually on Saturdays I am a grump while at work because it is so busy and I never get the chance to take a break between the calls I take. My voice/throat always hurts after 8 hours of non-stop talking. I know, its bad to be a grouch over something like that, but I can't help it sometimes. I'd like to share some of the amazing things that Sarah wrote about. Its hard sometimes to feel Heavenly Father's definite love for us day in and day out. I know that he does love us, and I have randomly get glimpses of it every so often, but hearing some of the stories that Sarah writes about is unbelieveable! They just hit you so hard and you have no doubt in your mind how much  the Lord loves her, which shows us all how much he truely listens to our prayers and loves each and every one of His children. Sarah seems to have such a close yet unique relationship with her Heavenly Father, she always has. I love her for it, and these stories are a true witness of how she sees the good in every situation.

_______________________________________________________________________

(8/13)

"This week has been amazing and really eye-opening, but Monday was really tough. My stomach hurt the whole day, because Sunday night we had dinner at this lady's house and she didn't cook the meat very well. All of our appointments got canceled and it seemed like no one was home. We were walking for most of the day, so we could talk to people but then it started raining and no one was out. My feet were so sore and my stomach hurt really bad. I straightened my hair that morning, but the rain was ruining it! We got back in the car and drove to our next appointment. When I stepped out of the car, I slipped in a puddle and fell of the same ankle I had sprained. Mud was all over my skirt. I was about to burst into tears. My hair was getting all frizzy, my knee was bleeding, my ankle was throbbing, no one was home and my stomach hurt. It didn't seem like anything could get any worse, but then I realized how pitiful I must have looked and I began cracking up laughing. I just sat there on the concrete in the rain, unable to stop laughing. My companion just starred at me like I had lost it, but in reality I had never felt more alive! ha ha. In life you just have to learn to laugh, because there's no point in crying. It just makes your mascara run. ;) The lady wasn't home, but as we walked back to our car we saw a "Mexican ice-cream truck" drive past. Hermana Hernandez and I looked at each other and began chasing the truck down, waving our arms in the air. We each bought 2 mango's, each for 30 cents and sat on the side of the road eating them in the rain. :) ha ha".

(7/16)

"We had appointments every hour for the rest of the day and were exhausted by the time we returned back to our apartment that night. When we opened the door, we both just stood there and said, "Oh my goodness..." The air conditioner had broke and it felt like a sauna in there. It was too late to do anything about it so we just got ready for bed. Hermana Hernandez started snoring a minute after she laid down, but I was up all night tossing and turning. I felt miserable. My ankle was throbbing, I couldn't stop sweating, I had a headache, I was frustrated with Spanish and I missed my family. I finally got up and sat on a lawn chair in our back yard because it was so much cooler than inside. I just looked up at the stars, feeling sorry for myself. I said in my mind, "Why me..?" I felt all alone and that no one even cared. Then Heavenly Father spoke to my mind and said, "Habla con migo." (Which means- "talk with me" in Spanish) I was surprised and said, "You speak Spanish?" ha ha. It never really dawned on me before because all the spiritual experiences I've had, He's always spoken to me in English. I felt God smiling down at me. :) ha ha. Why of course God speaks Spanish! He knows every language fluently! I guess I've always known that God spoke Spanish as well as all the other languages, but it was the first time He said anything to me in Spanish and I was a bit taken back. Heavenly Father sure knows how to turn my frown upside down. ;) Then I said a prayer as best I could in only Spanish, telling Him how I was feeling. He didn't say anything else to me that night, but I could feel Him listening to me and that was all I needed. I felt an added strength, went back inside and fell asleep smiling.

Then yesterday during our lunch break, I got permission to call my doctor in Utah. I had been trying to get a hold of him, because I needed him to fax an order form to the Wal-Mart pharmacy here. I take synthroid, because I had my thyroid removed when I was 10 and I didn't have any more pills left. I always leave about two week in advance for emergencies, but the nurse never returned my phone calls. I was so frustrated when I called because the lady on the phone was rude and said there was no way I could get more pills unless I had another blood test. My companion was taking a nap while I was making these phone calls and when I got off the phone, I just about cried. I was scared because I didn't have any more pills left and I couldn't call my mom or grandma to help me. I then got down on my knees and said, "Heavenly Father what am I suppose to do?" I then had a feeling that the lady we live behind took synthroid. I felt silly walking over there and asking her, but I did it anyways. I knocked on her door and said, "Hi, I know this is a really random question, but do you happen to take synthroid?" She said, "Why yes hunny come on in. Why do you ask?" I sat on the couch while she went in the kitchen to get her bottle. When she came back I asked, "What the prescription?" She said, "It's 112mg." That's the exact same as mine! I told her the situation and she said that she gets 3 months in advance and I could use hers until I got mine. I felt so loved by God and grateful for him answering my prayer. I started crying and Sister Sargeant just sat there rubbing my back..."

______________________________________________________________________

These stories made me realize that I really dont have it that bad. I can at least speak the language I need to to get my job done, and that after 8 hours I am done, no more Pinnacle for the rest of the day. Its not surprise that I was so much happier today at work than I have ever been on a Saturday. I took the calls and even if the person on the other line was angry for some odd reason, I remained happy.

I'm sure the fact that we are leaving for California in the morning also helped my mood a bit :)