It rained on my non-existent 4th of July parade

Hola,

Well a lot of you know, that 4th of July is my FAVORITE holiday! And no, they do not celebrate it here in Mexico obviously. But, it rained! Which usually people think that is bad. But do you know what that means?! It means that the sun wasnt out, yay!!! It was just a tiny bit of rain like probably 5-10 minutes if that, but it was a cloudy day!  :)

And I am going to steal this quote that a Sister from my MTC District sent this week,

"Even in a resurrected and otherwise perfected body, Christ chose to retain for the benefit of His disciples the wounds in His hands, feet and side - signs that painful things happen even to the pure and perfect. Pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn't love you. [It is] that problems pass and happiness can be ours." - Jeffrey R Holland

I hope that you all have a fantastic week, if your times are rough, and your luck seems down, it is time to get on your knees and thank your Heavenly Father for every blessing that you do have. I love the challenge that an apostle gave, to have a prayer purely of thanks.

Because there are a lot of times (I am just as guilty as the next person), when we just list all of our wants to God, as if it was a Christmas List to Santa. It is the time to be greatful, even for our trials. That is what gives us strength for our future, and our appreciation for the better that is soon awaiting.

Love Always,

                    Hermana Smith    

P.S. It was exactly one year ago today, that I made the decision to serve a mission. And that very day, I called to make an appointment with my Bishop. And whoo, here I am now in Mexico!  :)  It is hard work, but it is worth it. And it is rewarding to see people change into the better version of themselves that they were always meant to be.

Oh and a funny short story, this week there was this lady that we taught and she asked where I was from, I told her Utah. And she said, "I know someone from Utah, and they are a Mormon, So you probably know them!"

I didnt want to explain that me knowing a random Mormon in Utah was like knowing a Catholic in Rome. Ha ha.  :)