Welcome Home!

Hello!

I can hardly believe it, but the day has finally come! I am home!!! My mission has ended, and once again I am with my family and friends here in Mesa Arizona. It has been an unforgettable two years, a path that has led me to greater understanding, love, and testimony! I would not change that for anything!

The flights themselves were the last challenge of the mission. We were scheduled to leave tuesday afternoon 4:00 chilean time. However, when we got there, the itinerary, the flights, everything had been changed. And, nobody had told us! We were stuck with nothing! Luckily, they realized how they messed up, and tried to make up for it by redoing our flights. However, the best they could do was get us to Santiago in the middle of the night and stay at a hotel and in the morning pick us up. They told us that as soon as we landed in Santiago, they would be ready for us, and would take us to the hotel and give us the rest of our itinerary. So they sent us off, and we arrived at midnight there. And nobody knew who we were, or what we needed. The airports never got in contact, and we were almost stranded in Santiago! It took two more hours of running around talking to everyone from LatAM for us to get ourselves some flights home, the whole time my head pounding from stress induced migraines haha! But, it all got settled, and we were scheduled to return home late Wednesday night. They did get us a hotel, and we stayed there the night. Seeing as we had no alarm clocks, and we needed to be somewhere in the morning (they were going to pick us up again to take us to the airport), we asked the front desk to give us a wake up call at 5:30 to eat a little something and leave. Next thing I know, 6:00 Elder Hirschi is calling me saying the people are there! What?!? So we all scramble around and luckily get down in time to leave with the man. The front desk never called. The flight itself was normal, long maybe, but it was ok. I sat next to Elder Hirschi, and the flight first took us to Lima Peru. We had no idea why we were there, but then we left for LA arriving late night, then catching a connecting flight home. In this flight there was an awesome stewardess who recognized us as missionaries (she was a member herself) and treated us with some food from the plane (we hadn't eaten in a while). Her name was Kelly. She was awesome.

Arriving in the airport of Phoenix was such a crazy experience! As the flight landed I was close to hyperventilating! I almost ran down the halls looking for where I can get out, and then, going down the last hall, I can see the balloons and giant cardboard faces I knew only my family could have! I turn the little corner and there they are! And there I was! And I was in the moment I had been dreaming about for so long! And there was my mom, waiting, and after two long years I was able to give her the biggest hug I had given in all my life! Pure happiness, joy, I can't describe how exactly I felt, but I only know it felt good. I was finally reunited with my family and friends. 

My mission has been the hardest thing I have done in my life. The constant rejection, hard work, dog attacks and everything else that stood as an obstacle to me reaching my happiness was working its hardest to make me miserable. However, through the mercy and love of Him who I served, I was able to see the light and receive the help I needed to overcome those very same obstacles. Everything, as the scriptures say, ''...was for my good!'' The mission taught me how to work hard and give my all, but also recognize when my all was not enough, and to then trust in God to make up what I missed. It taught me how to love, not just get along with a person, but really love them and desire their happiness! It taught me how to look at others as children of God, and helped me want to serve them! It helped me appreciate the love the God has for me, and the plan he also has sketched out for me to follow. I know that that plan is the one that will bring me the most happiness in this life, I know this. So I will act with all I can to follow it and 'go where he wants me to go.' I am so grateful for my mission, my mission president, his wife, those I met in Chile, and all that I was able to do! The greatest feeling on the mission is finishing and hearing and feeling in your heart those blessed words, ''Well done, good and faithful servant!'' To know that all of your struggles, your pains, your efforts were not in vain, but were accepted and appreciated, that is the greatest feeling. And I now go into the rest of my life, and as I go through, I will have in my mind this goal: that when it all ends, when all this is over, I will once again hear and feel those words said by my Father, though this time I will be in His presence, and in His embrace. I testify to everyone that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the one and only true church of God on the earth today. Jesus lives, and He loves us, and He helps us to achieve what alone we could not. All those who have faith in him, repent, are baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end will return to live in His presence and will receive a complete joy. All of us can achieve this, God loves all his children equally. However, we must act. We must choose His life, and live as He lives if we want to live where He lives. I love you all, and am so grateful for all the support everyone back home, and everywhere else, has given me! God bless

Les amo a todos! Que vayan con Dios
Elder Schmid

Elder Schmid is coming home!!!

We did not get an email from Elder Schmid this past Monday, but thats ok because we are expecting him home tonight. We actually were supposed to have him here this morning, but his flight to Santiago arrived after the flight left for Dallas. He, and two other Elders, spent the night in Santiago and he is scheduled to be home tonight by 10:42 pm.

We have prepared our home for the last month, cleaning, organizing and purchasing a new bed, to welcome Elder Schmid home. We are all beyond excited to reunite with him and give him a big hug. For this mom, the last two years have gone by somewhat slow without him. However, it has been a rewarding two years of spiritual growth for our family, as well as Elder Schmid. Blessings have come to all of us because of his service. He is coming home with a stronger testimony, with a love for a people he never knew existed, with a greater love and appreciation for family and God. We are looking forward to meeting this new and improved Dallin Schmid :)

He gave it his all and endured to the end, and is now returning with honor. We love our Dallin so much! He is a great example to us, and we are grateful for the choice he made in going on this mission. Well done Elder Schmid! We love you!




p.s.  His dad is so anxious that he has been following his flights throughout the whole trip. He even celebrated as Dallin crossed the equator, and left spring to enter autumn. The family is being updated every hour :)

Week 101

Hola!

So, I was talking with dad, and thinking, I'm just going to do a normal email this week, like any other, and then close my mission in the next coming weeks! ;) I'm glad your week was so normal! This storm you're having, hopefully it lasts, say, another week and a half! ;)

So this week was a very good week! There really is one big reason it was so good a week. Danny and Luz were both baptized this Saturday and confirmed Sunday! It was a very big happy surprise! And a very big miracle. As we were talking with Danny one day, we were testifying of everything, and he looks at me and says he has a question. ''If I get baptized, can I do it facing the people instead of of facing the side?'' I said yes, and so he agreed to be baptized. I think I've already told you this. What happened that was completely surprising, is the day before the baptism. We were talking with Luz, and waiting for Danny to get back to redo his baptism interview. So there were us four elders there, my comp and I and the two zone leaders. We spoke with Luz about several things, but testified a lot about baptism, and at the end, she commited to being baptized! And the next day she was baptized together with her son! It was so amazing to see! I am so grateful I was here to see it! I thought that perhaps I would not get that chance, but it happened, and God saw fit that I was here to see it. It was very definitely a tender mercy from Him to me, and a great miracle from Him in the lives of them two! 

This last Sunday was my last normal Sunday here, since next week is general conference. I was able to bear my 'last testimony'. It was surreal speaking like that to the ward. I love this ward! I am sooooo grateful that I was able to come here! I love the members here! They have been so good to me. It was weird on Sunday, because it was the first time I could tell myself 'this is the last time doing this'. I'm sure all this week I'm going to feel like that.

So I don't know who's praying that I get new shoes, but whoever it is, you can stop! Hahaha this past week I've had three different people come to me to give me shoes because they saw mine all broken and destroyed and wanted to give me new ones! I was so surprised, and very moved by their love! I love these people! Unfortunately... none of them have gotten the size right, and I have two awesome looking blisters on my achiles tendons... they hurt. But at church I had to wear them to show I was grateful jaja! I'm so happy for these people who are willing to give to me! The love of the people here is real. I am so blessed to be here!

So... that's pretty much all that's happeneing this side of the world! Today we played fútbol with president and the two zones! I played dang good, if I do say so myself. Danny wanted to come, and he played with us, but he said he was scared seeing so many gringos speaking english! I said get used to it, you're going on your mission to the US! ;) But yeah, I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Les amo a todos! Vamos por esta última semana! (We are in the last full week!)

Elder Schmid