July 7, 2025

From Abby: Malolelei

Hi all neautiful humans who dare to open this email and ettempt to read the thrilling contents.

To premise, Its actually the night before Pday, i'm sitting criss cross in my youth camp Tshirt and thrifted pajama pants.. Sister Moleni is munching on some chips and Im filled with the desire to NOT take 20 years to write my weekly tomorrow, so I'm starting now. 

Two days ago mark EXACTLY halfway if I extend my mission.. This is what the countdown on my phone looked like:

*pic of countdown*

Wow thats large and in charge.. 

Does this give me somewhat of a crisis? 

Possibly. Does it feel like I'm halfway? ABSOLUTELY not. But at the same time I know how to do things... I fear I'm not creative or resilient enough to try new things in missionary work. I feel the rut that is being formed from doing the same thing day in and day out and I think that's what truly makes missionaries trunky. Really its their own doing 

They want to go home because it feels so interesting, the rythyms of missionary work seem old and beaten

but then they go home and have a crisis because they realise the norms of missionary work, and the norms of every day life are radically different and they'd rather be in the rut of discipleship than the rut of the natural man.

ANYWAYS 

Last Pday we were able to saunter the mall. 

The last time I was at the mall I met the actor for coach bolton. AND I was with Sister Ortiz 

This time we had the Sister Ortiz part.. but not the coach Bolton :( 

Some random lady offered to buy me a smoothy! I thought to myself (And uttered to sister ortiz) 

"This lady just saved everyone in this mall" Because when i'm hungry I swear I'm dangerous. 

The smoothy was a smoothy. Sustinance. 

I also dropped way too much money on a skirt. 

Pray for my financial well being 10 years from now. 

All of the elders were cooked like 2/3 of the way in and DIPPED so it just turned into a sisters Shopping trip which I wasn't mad about. 

I could shop all day. Test me I dare you. 

I swear my endurance in biking is boss level. Its not the hills dog its the HEAT. Sister Moleni (Cutie lil tongan trainee) is the master of putting her gears to like -12 and rotating her feet a thousand times just to slowly inch up hill XD

I think the lord is helping me because shockingly I haven't been impatient.. Its just IMPRESSIVE how slow we inch up the hill even though she's putting her heart might mind and strength into the gear shift biking.

I'd like to say I'm a pro biking Sister at this point. 

I did the math for biking..:From my journal on June 30th:

This is my 6th transfer on a bike.. and I've had one transfer car sharing. 220 days out of 285 days as a missionary, and 262 days in field. Roughly 84% of my time in field I have been a biking Sister.. and by the end of the transfer it'll be 85.7%
Anyways I'll stop being dramatic now (Not) 

Pretty much just be impressed

Tuesday was CANADA DAYYY YAYYYY

Ohh Canadaa  

our home and native landddd

Anyways no one knew about it except for this one old couple.. we have this normal message and then they're like

"yes.. We got you a cake: *Brings out massive cake*

with a card labeled "Sister Canada" 

I'll literally take it. 

It was way too nice of them and now we have a massive cake in our fridge :P 

We also had a group weekly planning as an entire ZONE and we called up random people in our area who might have a tad of potential.. There was some tense conversationa and some possible prospects :) 
It was fun to do it as a zone.. we got to plan out a Pday where Elder Taufunga agreed to teach us how to dance... 
Its fun because our district has three polynesian missionaries, Sister Moleni, Faitau and Taufuga. They're a party and I've never felt more white :) 

Theres this one returning member in our area named George, we showed up to one of the lessons and bro wasn't home 
I decided to leave him an extensive sticky note and in the time that it takes to write it George shows up!! We awkwardly decide to meet outside (Single guy) and learn more about him and what he's gone through in life. 
He explains how he just got out of Jail and struggles with addiction. 
He explains that he doesn't understand why he had to go through what he's gone through..
Long story long we explained parts of the plan of salvation, and how we need the hard to understand when something is good.
He nods... and LITERALLY SAYS
"I understand that.. but Like why tho.." 
KING. I explained it abit different and he goes "Yeah but like Why??" BROTHER
I tell him how when we come closer to christ we can find peace and understanding through christ (If I can't give you the answers christ can) 

I invited him to come to church, and he explains that he is in salt lake in sundays for hours waiting for his wife

So I invited him to attend a ward in salt lake and hes like "I'm not ready for that" 
:| coulda said that the first time. 
Anyways 
If you couldn't tell I was mildly frustrated :))

Now at random moments of the day Sister Moleni or I will say to eachother: "Okay but like Why? Like I get it but like why?" and we always laughhh (Nothing against George but we think its silly) 

that same night we knocked TWO BILLION doors and like 90% didn't answer. One that did happened to be a record removal 
When he opened the door i explained who we were and if we could come by later and get to know them and he has the MOST unimpressed look on his face.. He scoffs at me and basically invites me in to be bashed "You can come in.. but I'm athiest, and I know a LOT about your church." I felt a literal dark feeling coming from the home and knew that we shouldn't go in. 

I rejected his offer and asked if we could do any service, or keep family and friends in prayers.. He looked us up and down and said "You want service? You can weed my garden" he says it in this condescending way and He motions behind us and I see 3 or 4 weeds in this little bed.. 

It felt like a mockery. He was looking at us like we were delusioned little idiots 
We def did go back on  Saturday and left him a lovely little sticky note.. uncute.

Here's us knocking 

slayyy

ZDC was BUSSIN this week 
a member in one of the areas decided to buy the ENTIRE zone In-in-out so we FEASTED at the end.
We also had an arm wrestling competition and eler Taufunga smoked EVERYONE. Hes still unbeaten. 

It was a ball of a time 

I love missionary chaos. 
and I love how I always come to LOVE my zone.

This is Sister Moleni Dancing in the sun while we waited for our ride 

4th OF JULY 
WAS SO FUN 
We went on a morning walk around the temple in the morning as Sisters which was super cool. One of those moments where you realise you're serving in UTAH. :O

Me.. In front of the temple
wow theres a lot of pictures this time around

Sister Moleni and I had fun trying to visit with people (I swear the 4th of July is like a religion in and of itself)
We ran into this one lady who we had an ENTIRE conversation with, she was super super nice and told about her daughter who was on a mission etc. She asked about the rules for feeding missionaries and we explained how it could be any day of the week if there was a less active, struggling member, or non member present and she drops the line
"I Haven't been to church in eleven years.. does that count?"
MY JAW DROPPED to the floor
Is it terrible that I assume everyone is a fully active church goer if they're nice to the missionaries? Maybe. 
We got her number to set up a time so that's good :)
As we went to bike away a lady comes up to us who's her best friend!?! She says "She texted me that you guys stopped by" We had a great conversation with her as well. 
God is so good, he puts us in the right place at the right time.

Also fell asleep to endless fireworks 

Saturday morning Sister Cox shows up at our door to pick up her helmet and we're like "Sla" Until she forgot sister Molenis helmet :| #Cantbike. She says "We'll come back at lunch to bring it" FAST FORWARD its lunch time and I'm putting peanut butter on toast when we get a knock at the door... I open it to discover Sister Faitau and Sister Ortiz... and No sister Cox!?! Best believe we debriefed and cried and chatted as women do, Sister Cox went home to do a service mission and its hard and sad for someone to leave unexpectedly.. Its fair she didn't want anyone to know but it's still shocking. I was shook. 

I'm just so happy to be in a zone with Sister Ortiz, you have no clue how much I love her :)
We were able to go to an independance day party later that night and we got lost for an HOUR trying to find it 
I think we needed the chaos since everything was getting too serious.

SLAYYYY
Poly comps :))

Its been a chaotic week 
Sunday was back to back to back to back 
and now its Pday

Side note I think i've never sweat more in my ENTIRE life. crossing my legs in the members home after biking 15 mminutes up the hill in the +34 C is CRAZYYYY I'm trying to visit and be all spiritual when I know how VIAL I am XD

Also Sister Moleni has been teaching me words in Tonga 
This week was:
Malolelei 
Fefe Hake 

Catch me speaking Tongan shortly :) 

I FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON THIS WEEK. and its the fastest I've ever read.I started the beginning of June!!
Oh how I love the Book of Mormon.

I feel like my emails are slowly diminishing in detail and care as my mission goes on 
But this still stands 

I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. 
I love this Gospel 

I have never been happier 

Yours, with as much detail as I could muster, and so much love, 

-Sister Smith