Email 8/9/11

8.02.2011
So this day sucked. I thought I had found a way to email you and beat the timer and send you a huge long email but it failed miserably. If you go onto LDS.org and log in you can find a journal thing under the tools menu. Well, I thought I would type up a huge email and then copy and paste it into the myldsmail program. I went to save it and for some reason it saved less than half of it. I guess its kind of like text messaging where you can only send 160 characters. I had been typing for over an hour and when I saved it and realized that it didn't save over half of it I was so upset. So then I typed the rest up again and this time copied it and went to paste it into myldsmail and it didn't paste! And when you open a new program, the current program you are using closes down. So I didn't save it and it didn't paste. I was sooo livid. So thats why the email to you last week sucked. I am sorry about that. My ankle was hurting a lot. It was super itchy and I have no clue why... like on the area where the tendon was torn. It got so annoying. The temple was amazing! Because I am on crutches, I went to the travel office and they called for a shuttle to come and pick me up and give my companion and I a ride to and from the temple. :) Awww yeah! There was a grouchy old lady in the temple. I was asking where to go and she was telling me directions and expected that I knew where the rooms were that she was talking about. I got sick of her annoying loud voice so I just said Okay and my companion and I just started walking around and tried to find the chapel on our own. I didn't have to do service because of my ankle so I just sat in the bleachers that the missionaries set up for the devotional and wrote letters. For Tuesday devotionals they have you wait in a line until they let you in the gym... well, if you are not in that line an hour and a half before the thing starts you will be in the nose bleed section in the bleachers. Well smarty pants me went to the front and showed the security that I was crippled and they let me sit in the front on a nice chair and then they let me in early so I wouldn't get trampled when everyone else was running in :) I got awesome seats and I saved seats for my district as well. They are all benefiting from my injury. Even with rides to the temple haha! Gerald N. Lund spoke at the devotional and it was amazing. He is the guy who wrote "The Work and the Glory" series. He was awesome but he spoke so fast so my notes sucked. He spoke on Faith... I think. I don't have my notes with me. So yeah that was last Tuesday.

8.03.2011
Wednesday was good. We have early morning gym on Wednesdays at 6:35 in the morning. I didn't want to go and I decided that I wasn't going to wake up Elder Addington because he needs to wake up on his own so I got up at 6:20 and wrote letters until we had breakfast. Elder Addington never wakes up and I have always had to wake him up but I told him I am not going to do that anymore because its annoying that I have to do it and he needs to learn how to be responsible. He is a missionary now for Jesus Christ. Classes were good. We had TRC (teaching real people about the gospel en français). It was very difficult trying to understand what was being said. I bore my testimony though and I could really feel the power behind the testimony. The plainest and most simple testimonies I think are always the most powerful. We then taught our progressive investigator (our teacher, Sœur Cutler) and Elder Addington and I shared contributed to that lesson about 50/50 which is incredible. My French has come such a long way. We can get onto LDS.org here in the MTC and I clicked onto the link for mormon messages. Watch the one that is "A Civility Experiment". That one struck such a strong cord with me. I am going to one of the most, if not the poorest place in the world. I can't judge at all because majority of the time you are completely wrong in the judgement of that individual. The homeless man said some pretty wise and profound things when he was being interviewed. Watch it tonight as a family. We can all learn important life lessons from Charles. Please please watch it. You will love it. "Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgemental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life." - President Monson

8.04.2011
Today must have been great cause I am looking at my journal and I filled two pages... let's see here. I wrote a letter to Keri and Craig, a couple of my greatest friends! We had gym and I played h.o.r.s.e. and around-the-world in my boot and then these punk missionaries came and took over the court. After that I just went and walked around the indoor track that they have. Kinda like in the Freestone Rec center. Oh okay, now I know why I wrote so much in my journal... this was the day I found out about the accident. So after gym I was changing in the rez and my name was called over the intercom. This lady told me to go to the room of the District President (not the MTC president, some thought that that was who I met with). He went on to tell me that everything was alright, but that you guys had gotten in an accident. He told me what Dad had told him and that was it. I was waiting for him to tell me that I could call you guys but he never told me I could so I asked him if I could email you and he said yes. That is why I have been getting on over the past week. He told me that Dad would be sending me an email later on that day so I was checking my email periodically throughout the day. When I read Dad's email I just started to cry. It was so hard for me to picture all of you guys going through that. Especially Ashlyn, Darian, and you. I won't say much more cause I pretty much already responded to that situation with my email to dad about blessings and all that good stuff. You guys are living witnesses that mircales still happen to this day. Today I got a sweet letter from Alex with some awesome pictures!! She is so awesome. I love her to death. I also got a sweet package from Tasha. Class was good like always.

8.05.2011
This day was filled with many tender mercies. Elder Addington and I taught our progressive investigator Sœur Cutler and I could feel the Spirit so strong. I was able to email home to you guys and I ended up having a running chat with Caelan, Alex, and Tasha. It felt so good to talk to them and to see how everyone was doing. One of my good friends Elder Arnold had a close friend pass away so I gave him the best advice I could. You could tell that it was really affecting him. I was so happy though that he came to me to talk about it. I love him so much. He is such an awesome missionary and friend. Him and I were in the same EFY group 3 years ago when I went with Caleb. He is the one from England. We had a lesson with Frère Parsons, my other teacher who served in Congo as well. He is such a powerful teacher. You ALWAYS feel the spirit when he teaches. During his lesson I felt prompted to tell about my experience with prayer that I had had the day before the accident. We had such an incredible lesson.

8.06.2011
We had early morning gym again. I stayed with Elder LaFleur and Elder Addington and Elder Frazier went on a split to the gym. I just stayed and wrote letters. You guys would be surprised with how obedient I am with the "wake up at 6:30 rule". I actually get up at 6:20 every morning. Even when I could sleep in. Yeah, be proud. I cranked out a couple of letters then went to class. We had zone teaching today and me and 5 other missionaries had to teach a lesson together. It was pretty cool! I did well, surprisingly. I could follow along somewhat alright. Today Frère Parsons told us that he was going to visit his family in CA and that he won't be here to teach us the last 2 weeks that we are here. That was so sad to hear. I love him so much and have so much respect for him. He doesn't put up with our crap and he has helped us as a district become more mature. I can't tell you how awesome he is... he is such an incredible example to me. So it was hard to hear this news because we all love him so much. During personal study today I was able to get on the email and chat with you, Dad, Caelan, Alex, and Tasha. That was AWESOME! I love chatting with you guys so much! I am taking advantage of it while I can!

8.07.2011
Sundays are awesome here in the MTC. Today was fast sunday and for the first time in my life I was excited to fast! Whaaaa?! I know, crazy. There were a few things that I fasted for and I could definitely tell that the Lord is aware of my wants and desires and knows exactly what we pray for. I wasn't planning on bearing my testimony, but that crazy thing called the Spirit persuaded me to get up to the pulpit and bear it! It was incredible! It was so simple but so powerful. At around 8:32 AM I really really felt the Spirit in French. So amazing. Emailing everyone was awesome. So I am embarassed and also excited to tell you what I am about to tell you. For the first time in my life I have read the Book of Mormon completely. All the way through, from cover to cover. I started on 6.29. and finished today! I am so proud of myself. My testimony has grown so much of the Book of Mormon over the past couple of weeks. That book is true!! I know that with all of my heart and being! After the devotional we watched the Testaments. That movie is ridiculous to watch when you are in a room with about 800 other missionaries. Especially when the characters kiss. Its nuts. I loved this Sunday so much though. Sundays here at the MTC are incredible.

8.08.2011
Today I emailed Caelan, you, Darian, Alex, and Tasha!! I was so grateful for that. I was so happy that I could chat with Darian for a couple of minutes. She has a letter coming her way... along with one for Ashlyn. So we had gym and I decided that I wasn't going to wear my boot. Instead I put on my brace and walk around and play a little ball. I took it easy of course. It felt soooo good to walk around and be normal. I am never going to take my foot for granted again. haha before I went to the gym I promised myself that I wasn't going to play ball but I just couldn't do it. I played a slow game with my companion and some deaf missionaries. That was interesting. Class was awesome. My teachers rock!! I got 4 pages of DearElders tonight!! Keep 'em coming! I love getting mail so much! It is the best part of the day! I got a sweet package from Tasha with some Rockport shoes! The ones I have are so worn out. Especially the one for my right foot. The tread is like completely gone.

So yeah that was my week. The temple today was amazing like always. Our teacher Frère Parsons was able to go through a temple session with us. Afterwards we all went and ate lunch together. He was telling us some awesome stories about Africa and what it was like on his mission. I am soooo excited to finally get on my way! I want to go so bad!!! Well, I hope all is well at home. I am so blessed to be a part of such an increcible family. I love you all so much. Thanks for all the love you send me. I will be able to get on tomorrow to email and that will be it. I will then be back to emailing you once a week. So be on tomorrow!! Always count your blessings! Je vous aime beaucoup!!

Elder Schmid

-- In past emails I have put "Je vous aimez". That was just me having a huge brain fart.