Note from Elder Schellenberg

*Hey Everyone that is reading this!!! I am Elder Schellenberg, and I just want to say how awesome of a guy and missionary and person that Elder Smith is. He is one of the kindest person on earth. I was in the MTC with him and he was super cool to be around 24/7. He also writes in this journal a ton. I don't know what he says but I am sure it is good and interesting. Speaking Chinese in Virginia as a missionary. Anyways. Simi Zhanglao is the best.*

Another good week

Well, it was another good week, it was a little slow, however it was
still quite wonderful! This week I tried focusing on Patience, which
was cool considering the miracle at the end of the week.
This was a really,  really wonderful and miraculous thing. We wer knocking
on a door, when a car a little bit away to us motions to us. She asks
what we are doing, and we say "we are missionaries!"(we may have said
more...but I don't really know) then  She said, follow me around the
corner and we can talk! So we follow her, then start taking with her.
Turns out she loves missionaries, or at least the idea of spreading
the word. We explained who we were.  Then taught her and she understood it all, was
very, very impressed/excited about the 1st Vision. At one point while
we were talking she said "this is fun!" Or something good like that.
It was all so great. She is really excited to read The Book of Mormon.
After the whole thing she explained all of what we said to make sure
she understood. She explained it perfectly. Wow, it was so, so, so
amazing. She will be coming to church next week(which is convenient
because she goes to the church across the street from ours!). Wow, and
this happened while my companion and I were fasting for both us and
our zone to baptize this month. The Lord definitely works miracles in
our lives.
So yeah, that was a really big highlight of the week, other than that
everything is good.
Love
Elder Smith

missonaried month

Well, there are some bit things that have recently
happened...especially since I haven't wrote a bit email for a long
time.

This past month(May) well it was kind of crazy, in the month of May,
my companion and I were Missionaried to at least 5 times, I have been
invited to become, well a lot of different religions, which I don't
think it would be appropriate to name them specifically, however, all
of them are Christianity, which some of the people we talked with,
didn't think that we were Christian, so they wanted to help us out. To
be honest, in the moment, it was frustrating, some of the people most
of them actually were much much smarter than I am, and told me so many
different ideas, and things, that say I am wrong for what I am doing.
That I really need to look at things, and look at the Bible, and
figure out what is going on. The arguments range from, brainwashing,
ancient Hebrew, genetics, Russian, German, and much more. To be
honest, I know very little about the things they brought up, the
questions asked, and other things. It was pretty hard, and tiring, and
annoying.

However, clearly I am still a a missionary for the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints! All because of the goodness of our
Heavenly Father, I giving us the wonderful Restored Gospel. We have
all been blessed to be able to be lead to truth through the Holy Ghost
that can testify to us the truth of all things. Man of the people we
met with, that Missionaried to us, always used logic or smarts to
convince us of the truthfulness of their message. However, none of
them relied on the Spirit, no one directed invited me to pray and ask
God, the source of all truth, to be lead and guided. Just as no one
can prove through physical means that Jesus Christ rose from the dead,
that the Bible is true, that Jesus is the Christ. These things can
only be known by spiritual means, through prayer, scripture study and
faith. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says "Wherefore I give you to understand,
that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and
that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

I am so grateful for a living, loving Heavenly Father that has
provided us a way for each of us to personally know the love that He
has for us, that Jesus is the Christ, and any other truth. That I
through this same power, know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves
each and everyone one of us, that he gave His son Jesus Christ to die
for us that we can become clean from all the mistakes and sin we have
in our life. And that this knowledge has been restored to the earth by
a prophet, the first being Joseph Smith up to the current time. The.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. All of you can
know this as well, or strengthen you testimony of it as we rely on the
gifts Heavenly Father has give us, which are so, so plentiful.

-Elder Smith

P.S. In other news, well it is transfer this week, and....the
unthinkable happened! Two of the mandarin missionaries got
transferred!..well they will tomorrow. It will be weird, Elder
Schellenberg, my MTC companion, and I will be taking over both areas
we are currently in. At Least we think so. To be honest, it is quite
intimidating, however I am trying to have faith, that things will go
well. However, it is definitely going to be hard, and a little lonely
this next little bit. The other elders are expected to
return...however we do not really know, we think they are going to see
if there re other Chinese people elsewhere in Virginia. We shall see.
However, I fully believe the promise in 1 Nephi 3:7 "And it came to
pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things
which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no
commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for
them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." As
well the same goes for all of you in your respective callings and
assignments!
Love you all!