Latter-day Saint Mission Prep

The Transfer Home – Interview with Hannah Smith – Podcast Episode 19


Listen Later

This video and audio is episode 19 of the Latter-day Saint Mission Prep podcast recorded on Feb 12, 2024. In this podcast you will hear Hannah Smith talk about her transfer home at the end of her 18 month mission to Lisbon, Portugal for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We talk about the last weeks of her mission and her first week back home. We cover topics such as:

• How she approached the last week of her mission
• Saying goodbye to friends, members, and missionaries
• How to not get trunky
• Going to the mission home for her farewell interview with the mission president
• Traveling home and meeting her family at the airport
• Being released: meeting with Stake Pres
• Homecoming talk and open house
• Getting back into life with family and work
• Goals, My Plan, challenges, growth, testimony, and much more

The transcript of the interview can be found below (it’s automated, so I apologize for any typos) and an audio version can be found at the bottom of this post. For other video/podcast episodes, check out the Latter-day Saint Mission Prep podcast page.

***Begin Transcript***

0:0:22.430 –> 0:0:29.340

Smith, Jimmy
Welcome to another edition of the Latter Day St Mission Prep podcast.

0:0:29.750 –> 0:0:36.530

Smith, Jimmy
I’m here today with my daughter Hannah, who just got back from her mission to Lisbon, Portugal.

0:0:36.540 –> 0:0:39.690

Smith, Jimmy
So she’s gonna tell us all about that today.

0:0:39.900 –> 0:0:43.450

Smith, Jimmy
The topic for today’s podcast I’m calling it.

0:0:43.940 –> 0:0:46.590

Smith, Jimmy
This is my draft, I might change it when I published it.

0:0:46.600 –> 0:0:48.480

Smith, Jimmy
I’m calling it the transfer home.

0:0:48.700 –> 0:0:56.230

Smith, Jimmy
We’re we’re primarily going to talk about the last week of your mission and your first week back home after you mentioned you’ve been home.

0:0:56.240 –> 0:0:58.660

Smith, Jimmy
I think about two weeks, but we’re going to focus on that.

0:0:58.990 –> 0:1:8.340

Smith, Jimmy
Last week in the mission and the first week home after the mission, so that that that transition from being a missionary full time to being a.

0:1:10.680 –> 0:1:11.570

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, yes.

0:1:11.640 –> 0:1:14.650

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, a normal ladder?

0:1:14.700 –> 0:1:16.890

Smith, Jimmy
Non missionary, Latter day St.

0:1:17.360 –> 0:1:20.330

Smith, Jimmy
So anyway, that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

0:1:20.340 –> 0:1:21.890

Smith, Jimmy
In fact, I prepared a little agenda.

0:1:21.900 –> 0:1:22.950

Smith, Jimmy
I’m going to share briefly.

0:1:22.960 –> 0:1:25.500

Smith, Jimmy
We’ll see how how this works.

0:1:26.230 –> 0:1:30.390

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, OK, not not as smooth as I thought.

0:1:30.400 –> 0:1:31.840

Smith, Jimmy
But anyway, we’re gonna talk about.

0:1:32.770 –> 0:1:36.460

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, uh, you how’s the approach?

0:1:36.550 –> 0:1:44.120

Smith, Jimmy
The her last week in the mission field, we’ll talk about your interview with your mission president.

0:1:44.360 –> 0:1:46.190

Smith, Jimmy
I’ll talk about traveling home.

0:1:47.0 –> 0:1:50.610

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, and you’re experience is traveling home.

0:1:50.620 –> 0:1:53.280

Smith, Jimmy
They will and meeting course your family at the airport.

0:1:53.380 –> 0:1:58.520

Smith, Jimmy
We’ll talk about meeting with the state president and at the next stage we got home late one night, right.

0:1:58.760 –> 0:2:2.30

Smith, Jimmy
And your homecoming talk and open house.

0:2:2.40 –> 0:2:5.180

Smith, Jimmy
We had biting friends over and now getting back to work.

0:2:5.190 –> 0:2:12.260

Smith, Jimmy
You’ve been got a job and you’re going back to work and you have, you know, it’d be good if you could tell about your plans and so forth.

0:2:12.310 –> 0:2:14.120

Smith, Jimmy
So anyway, that’s our agenda.

0:2:14.130 –> 0:2:18.700

Smith, Jimmy
I’m going to stop sharing the screen so you know see that gene anymore.

0:2:18.710 –> 0:2:20.920

Smith, Jimmy
You can just focus on on him.

0:2:20.970 –> 0:2:24.730

Smith, Jimmy
So I guess let’s let’s jump into this first.

0:2:24.780 –> 0:2:28.20

Smith, Jimmy
Maybe Hannah do a brief intro.

0:2:28.480 –> 0:2:31.490

Smith, Jimmy
To yourself about, you know, your student.

0:2:31.500 –> 0:2:35.50

Smith, Jimmy
You went that called to Portugal and your mission said, etcetera.

0:2:35.360 –> 0:2:38.50

Smith, Jimmy
And so do that really briefly.

0:2:38.60 –> 0:2:39.540

Smith, Jimmy
And then we’ll jump into the other agenda.

0:2:40.100 –> 0:2:41.370

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, sounds good.

0:2:41.420 –> 0:2:45.40

Smith, Jimmy
So, umm, basically four.

0:2:45.90 –> 0:2:45.880

Smith, Jimmy
I was actually.

0:2:46.100 –> 0:2:58.630

Smith, Jimmy
I was studying art at the IU I say and I got called to go to Lisbon, Portugal and then mentioned, and I just spent the past.

0:3:1.0 –> 0:3:2.930

Smith, Jimmy
You could say 18 months there.

0:3:3.40 –> 0:3:5.590

Smith, Jimmy
I spent a little bit of time in California.

0:3:5.600 –> 0:3:6.870

Smith, Jimmy
Riverside as well.

0:3:7.550 –> 0:3:9.260

Smith, Jimmy
I’m waiting for my visa to go to Portugal.

0:3:10.280 –> 0:3:13.770

Smith, Jimmy
Umm but yeah, and then I know.

0:3:13.900 –> 0:3:15.400

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, so here I am.

0:3:15.410 –> 0:3:15.710

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:3:15.720 –> 0:3:23.430

Smith, Jimmy
So she did the two weeks at the home in PC and that would have been we’re recording this in February of 2024.

0:3:23.440 –> 0:3:25.710

Smith, Jimmy
So it was summer of 2022.

0:3:25.720 –> 0:3:28.930

Smith, Jimmy
You did two weeks of Homeland TC and then for Visa.

0:3:28.980 –> 0:3:29.470

Smith, Jimmy
Oh, no.

0:3:29.480 –> 0:3:48.200

Smith, Jimmy
Then she went to the Provo MTC for four weeks and had, it was hoping the visa for Portugal would arrive, but it didn’t, so she spent a transfer, which is a six week period with temporary mission in California and then finally around the 1st of October.

0:3:48.210 –> 0:3:53.930

Smith, Jimmy
I think you like that October, yeah, mid October of 2022 made it to Portugal.

0:3:54.450 –> 0:3:55.70

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:3:55.110 –> 0:3:58.60

Smith, Jimmy
So there 15 months.

0:3:58.110 –> 0:4:0.80

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, yeah.

0:4:1.60 –> 0:4:1.510

Smith, Jimmy
Cool, cool.

0:4:1.520 –> 0:4:1.810

Smith, Jimmy
Cool.

0:4:2.340 –> 0:4:2.770

Smith, Jimmy
So.

0:4:2.840 –> 0:4:3.870

Smith, Jimmy
So that’s Hannah.

0:4:4.580 –> 0:4:5.890

Smith, Jimmy
And and her mission.

0:4:6.240 –> 0:4:12.50

Smith, Jimmy
And maybe we’ll have other podcasts where we talk about more details of things that happen on her mission.

0:4:12.340 –> 0:4:17.850

Smith, Jimmy
But while it’s fresh in your mind, I wanted to ask you about that last week in the mission.

0:4:17.860 –> 0:4:18.890

Smith, Jimmy
So why don’t you tell about that?

0:4:18.900 –> 0:4:23.890

Smith, Jimmy
What were your thoughts as your mission was coming to a close and how did you approach that?

0:4:23.900 –> 0:4:25.730

Smith, Jimmy
How did you make sure you didn’t get trunky?

0:4:25.740 –> 0:4:35.850

Smith, Jimmy
You know and and lose focus had you know, how did you make sure you worked hard until the end of your mission and and and what were your thoughts is you were approaching that? Yeah.

0:4:38.120 –> 0:4:48.430

Smith, Jimmy
Well, it is a lot more than just like the last week because I feel like the last like several transfers of my mission, I was like at the end is coming.

0:4:48.540 –> 0:4:53.250

Smith, Jimmy
You have to kind of start preparing yourself, and the church gives you some resources.

0:4:53.360 –> 0:4:58.430

Smith, Jimmy
I think we’ll talk about later for kind of preparing yourself to to go home.

0:4:58.440 –> 0:5:0.870

Smith, Jimmy
And so you kind of have to start thinking about it more than a week.

0:5:0.960 –> 0:5:2.590

Smith, Jimmy
No, go ahead and mention that now.

0:5:2.600 –> 0:5:3.480

Smith, Jimmy
So what is?

0:5:3.490 –> 0:5:7.0

Smith, Jimmy
What resources do the church give you as you’re preparing to come home?

0:5:7.660 –> 0:5:11.720

Smith, Jimmy
So there is this lovely thing called my and.

0:5:11.730 –> 0:5:21.690

Smith, Jimmy
So basically, in your missionary portal it just pops up one day whenever they sign it to you, and it’s basically like a six week little course you just do.

0:5:21.880 –> 0:5:23.780

Smith, Jimmy
I just did on my phone because that’s what I had.

0:5:24.500 –> 0:5:25.300

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:5:25.480 –> 0:5:35.160

Smith, Jimmy
And it just asks you it like has some quotes, some videos, series of questions about what your plans are for going home.

0:5:35.170 –> 0:5:39.50

Smith, Jimmy
You make a lot of goals, a lot of reflecting on the things you learn throughout your mission.

0:5:39.960 –> 0:5:42.330

Smith, Jimmy
Umm so it’s I was.

0:5:42.500 –> 0:5:53.210

Smith, Jimmy
I thought it would be a lot more like specific and detailed about like the plans I would make going home, but a lot of it was just like reflecting on what things like I learned spiritually on my mission.

0:5:53.220 –> 0:5:54.350

Smith, Jimmy
What like habits again?

0:5:54.360 –> 0:6:6.680

Smith, Jimmy
What I want to continue and like plans with that which I actually think is better that they make you plan to think about that than like your logistical plans of what happens when you get home.

0:6:6.690 –> 0:6:15.680

Smith, Jimmy
Because I think the church has seen that like one of the biggest struggles with returned missionaries is that they like they, like, flounder.

0:6:15.690 –> 0:6:25.340

Smith, Jimmy
A little bits spiritually, sometimes, because the mission is very it’s just spiritual every moment, and it’s very it’s very structured.

0:6:25.350 –> 0:6:27.920

Smith, Jimmy
And so yeah, when you get home, it’s just like, wow.

0:6:27.990 –> 0:6:30.950

Smith, Jimmy
So it’s just a way for them to help you.

0:6:31.560 –> 0:6:32.310

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:6:32.430 –> 0:6:34.830

Smith, Jimmy
Kind of reflect on your mission and set goals for the future.

0:6:34.840 –> 0:6:37.450

Smith, Jimmy
They also share it with your Bishop and your state president.

0:6:37.760 –> 0:6:43.340

Smith, Jimmy
My Bishop and state president both mentioned to me that they like looked at it and they read it and they were like, that was really good or whatever.

0:6:43.840 –> 0:6:46.490

Smith, Jimmy
So yeah, yeah.

0:6:46.770 –> 0:7:8.380

Smith, Jimmy
I think you’re right in that the church is very concerned with missionaries making this transfer home because it’s it’s a it’s a transition from the structured life of a missionary where you have to get up at a certain time and have scripture study at a certain time, and then all of a sudden it’s completely unstructured because you’re at home and no ones forcing you to get up at a certain time or do Scripture study it or certain time.

0:7:8.390 –> 0:7:9.710

Smith, Jimmy
So it’s very unstructured.

0:7:9.720 –> 0:7:20.920

Smith, Jimmy
So if you have a plan, you’re more likely to keep up your good habits and and keep your your spirituality high and and I think you’re transitioning to civilian life.

0:7:21.390 –> 0:7:25.120

Smith, Jimmy
Probably the churches found, I assume much better when they have a plan.

0:7:25.450 –> 0:7:26.200

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:7:26.270 –> 0:7:27.480

Smith, Jimmy
No, I think it’s.

0:7:27.530 –> 0:7:28.570

Smith, Jimmy
I think it’s really good.

0:7:28.810 –> 0:7:34.100

Smith, Jimmy
And so they give you that like, umm, I got it like 2.

0:7:34.590 –> 0:7:36.990

Smith, Jimmy
My my like second to last transfer.

0:7:37.0 –> 0:7:38.480

Smith, Jimmy
OK, actually I think I got it.

0:7:38.490 –> 0:7:42.60

Smith, Jimmy
My third to last transfer, but I didn’t start working until my transfer.

0:7:42.110 –> 0:7:45.500

Smith, Jimmy
OK, umm and it says to finish in your last six weeks.

0:7:45.510 –> 0:7:52.510

Smith, Jimmy
I just took 12 weeks to do it because I wanted to use the last like couple weeks I had during personal study to not just work on my plan.

0:7:53.110 –> 0:7:53.570

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:7:54.230 –> 0:7:57.480

Smith, Jimmy
But anyways, the point of all this is to say that basically.

0:8:0.130 –> 0:8:4.680

Smith, Jimmy
I feel like you have to start preparing yourself, at least for me.

0:8:4.690 –> 0:8:9.540

Smith, Jimmy
I had to prepare myself mentally to go home a lot more than just like a week before, but I did.

0:8:9.990 –> 0:8:11.350

Smith, Jimmy
I didn’t want to think about it.

0:8:11.360 –> 0:8:20.480

Smith, Jimmy
I didn’t want to face it and I think that’s a lot of missionaries who are very like, you know, just if you’re trying to be consecrated dedicated, it’s going to be harder to want to think about home.

0:8:20.490 –> 0:8:35.820

Smith, Jimmy
But I remember in the very beginning of my mission, I heard all the time about missionaries just being trunky, and they’re like, and to explain, if you don’t know what trunky means, basically it means you your bags are packed, your bags are packed, the truck packed.

0:8:36.0 –> 0:8:38.10

Smith, Jimmy
You wanna go checked out of your mission?

0:8:38.420 –> 0:8:38.690

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:8:38.700 –> 0:8:41.320

Smith, Jimmy
And so a lot of there’s I think there’s different ways to be.

0:8:41.330 –> 0:8:42.380

Smith, Jimmy
Absolutely. Yeah.

0:8:42.420 –> 0:8:52.780

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, there’s like some issues are chunky and so they won’t like do the work or they won’t work as hard or they’ll take longer or some missionaries will be like more disobedient.

0:8:52.790 –> 0:8:56.930

Smith, Jimmy
Like they won’t be as like obedient to the rules because they’re, like, I’m going home so.

0:8:57.940 –> 0:9:2.540

Smith, Jimmy
But also it can just be hard because sometimes you’re just chunky like you’re just thinking about home.

0:9:2.550 –> 0:9:5.310

Smith, Jimmy
That’s all you could think about because you’re like, it’s so imminent.

0:9:5.360 –> 0:9:5.660

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:9:5.670 –> 0:9:5.850

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:9:5.860 –> 0:9:13.370

Smith, Jimmy
So anyways, at the beginning of my mission I just heard all about like everyone gets trunky at the end of their mission, they stopped working hard and they stop being obedient.

0:9:13.380 –> 0:9:16.270

Smith, Jimmy
And I was like, I never wanna be like that.

0:9:16.360 –> 0:9:17.130

Smith, Jimmy
Ever.

0:9:17.200 –> 0:9:21.320

Smith, Jimmy
So I made that promise to myself, like at the beginning of my mission.

0:9:21.330 –> 0:9:30.650

Smith, Jimmy
I was like when I get towards that end, I do not wanna be the missionary that everyone looks at and it’s like, yeah, she’s really chunky and I think I succeeded.

0:9:30.710 –> 0:9:32.880

Smith, Jimmy
Well, I don’t know because it’s hard to.

0:9:32.950 –> 0:9:33.400

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:9:33.410 –> 0:9:42.440

Smith, Jimmy
And I have a biased opinion too, probably cause I mean as parents we talk to you once a week, you know, did about an hour of a video call every week and read your letters.

0:9:42.450 –> 0:9:45.680

Smith, Jimmy
And from everything we could observe, we weren’t drunk at all.

0:9:45.690 –> 0:9:46.700

Smith, Jimmy
You worked hard till the end.

0:9:46.710 –> 0:9:48.740

Smith, Jimmy
I hope that’s that’s the case.

0:9:48.830 –> 0:9:49.400

Smith, Jimmy
So.

0:9:49.450 –> 0:9:52.640

Smith, Jimmy
So let’s talk then about that last week.

0:9:52.740 –> 0:9:53.490

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, mission.

0:9:56.580 –> 0:9:56.790

Smith, Jimmy
What?

0:9:56.860 –> 0:9:57.910

Smith, Jimmy
But what more can you tell us?

0:9:57.920 –> 0:9:58.990

Smith, Jimmy
Because, because yeah, I wanted.

0:9:59.0 –> 0:9:59.800

Smith, Jimmy
Not very specific.

0:10:0.990 –> 0:10:4.480

Smith, Jimmy
I mean it’s it’s a partial week for one right cause.

0:10:4.530 –> 0:10:10.780

Smith, Jimmy
Usually you the end of one week in the beginning of the next is generally P day, right Sunday is is.

0:10:10.790 –> 0:10:17.520

Smith, Jimmy
Is is also kind of a marker, but then Mondays, your PDA and and and then, but it’s.

0:10:17.530 –> 0:10:20.940

Smith, Jimmy
It’s kind of a short week because by Wednesday or Thursday you were.

0:10:21.120 –> 0:10:24.980

Smith, Jimmy
You’re going to the mission home to meet with the mission president, and you’re taking a flight home.

0:10:25.350 –> 0:10:25.750

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:10:26.610 –> 0:10:27.880

Smith, Jimmy
Well, I don’t know.

0:10:27.890 –> 0:10:42.230

Smith, Jimmy
Maybe it’s this is what we want to talk about, but the the last full week that I had of missionary work was obviously not my last full week as a missionary, because half of that week was, as you said, spent running around and traveling.

0:10:42.450 –> 0:10:52.780

Smith, Jimmy
But I remember in order to try and I told my companion I was like, we are gonna work so hard this last week that we have like, we’re going to set some really high goals.

0:10:53.190 –> 0:11:2.960

Smith, Jimmy
And so that like we’ll just work really hard and like we’ll feel like we finished this transfer all feel like I finished my mission well, like, go out with the bang kind of thing.

0:11:2.970 –> 0:11:8.210

Smith, Jimmy
And I always like heard about machines doing that, so we it was funny because that transfer we had had a goal.

0:11:8.220 –> 0:11:18.810

Smith, Jimmy
We wanted to baptize 3 people that transfer and that last week came and we had a baptized anyone and we were kind of sad and I was like, why on Earth did we make that goal?

0:11:18.820 –> 0:11:20.570

Smith, Jimmy
And like like we could do that.

0:11:20.580 –> 0:11:43.290

Smith, Jimmy
But so we decided we were like, well, maybe we can’t baptize 3 people this week because we don’t have a new one that’s ready yet and we don’t wanna brush them, but we like, we’re gonna put four people on baptismal date this week, which means like marking a specific day that they’ll be baptized, not only inviting four people, but having four people.

0:11:43.300 –> 0:11:45.320

Smith, Jimmy
They yes, committed to a day.

0:11:45.680 –> 0:11:54.550

Smith, Jimmy
OK, which in order to do that, if you think about it, there’s six days to the week because P day and Sundays are Sunday.

0:11:54.560 –> 0:11:55.430

Smith, Jimmy
They’re interesting.

0:11:55.470 –> 0:12:2.480

Smith, Jimmy
So basically we’re like we have like kind of five days to do this and that’s four people and we had zero and we were like ohh my goodness.

0:12:2.580 –> 0:12:15.920

Smith, Jimmy
So we made a goal to do a real baptismal invite every day, like with a date, which was like kind of scary because I was like, I don’t think I’ve ever done that in my home mission, but I was like, we are here to like, this is part of our purpose.

0:12:16.400 –> 0:12:29.60

Smith, Jimmy
Invite people we baptized, so we did it and we didn’t Mark 4, but we marked 3 baptismal dates that week and we we invited someone every day to be baptized, and we obviously didn’t want to.

0:12:29.70 –> 0:12:38.120

Smith, Jimmy
Just like do it like just doing just to do it like we were trying to follow the spirit through the motions and wanted to be a sincere, no authentic invitation.

0:12:38.870 –> 0:12:42.700

Smith, Jimmy
And I feel like the Lord just kind of like gate not not gave us.

0:12:42.710 –> 0:12:45.260

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, just like he helped us, like, make that goal.

0:12:45.270 –> 0:12:54.820

Smith, Jimmy
Like one day at the end of the day, we’re supposed to have a lesson with this lady and we had planned that we were gonna invite her to be baptized, and she didn’t answer the phone when we called her to do a video call.

0:12:54.830 –> 0:12:57.140

Smith, Jimmy
We’re like, no, and it was the end of the day.

0:12:57.150 –> 0:12:58.590

Smith, Jimmy
So it was like, well, what do we do?

0:12:58.600 –> 0:13:6.430

Smith, Jimmy
Like we haven’t invited anyone yet, and I was thinking I was like, oh, well, this lady is the aunt of another guy we’re teaching.

0:13:6.440 –> 0:13:7.730

Smith, Jimmy
We should call him.

0:13:7.780 –> 0:13:8.930

Smith, Jimmy
So we called him up.

0:13:9.680 –> 0:13:18.70

Smith, Jimmy
I spontaneously and we ended up having a nice lesson with him and we invited him to be baptized and so the Lord like kind of gave us like, it worked out really well.

0:13:18.80 –> 0:13:18.350

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:13:18.400 –> 0:13:34.70

Smith, Jimmy
And he didn’t say yes, but I was like, that is just the Lord showing that, like when we make goals and we include him in our goal and say like, ask for help to meet our goals, that like he really will help us because he doesn’t want us to fail.

0:13:34.400 –> 0:13:37.210

Smith, Jimmy
And sometimes, you know, it doesn’t plagues out exactly how we want.

0:13:37.220 –> 0:13:39.690

Smith, Jimmy
We didn’t mark for baptismal days, but we marked three.

0:13:40.50 –> 0:13:40.400

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:13:40.450 –> 0:13:47.0

Smith, Jimmy
And it was like those three people that the Lord had prepared, and because we were saying we were willing, then he was able to help us.

0:13:47.150 –> 0:13:52.220

Smith, Jimmy
So I loved that that was kind of like the way we went out, that that was my last week.

0:13:52.230 –> 0:13:53.60

Smith, Jimmy
It was really cool.

0:13:53.170 –> 0:13:56.320

Smith, Jimmy
We saw a lot of other miracles too, that I won’t go into well.

0:13:56.330 –> 0:13:58.290

Smith, Jimmy
And you didn’t know this?

0:13:58.300 –> 0:14:12.950

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t think at the time, but like my last full week of my mission in Argentina 25 years ago, I had very similar experience where we invited three families to get baptized in my last full week.

0:14:13.40 –> 0:14:15.370

Smith, Jimmy
So I reading your letters home and talking to you.

0:14:15.380 –> 0:14:18.790

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, astounded, like Hannah’s last full week.

0:14:18.880 –> 0:14:29.40

Smith, Jimmy
She had committed three people to baptismal dates and the last full week of my mission, saying we we invited and in my case we invited three families, that we were teaching to be baptized.

0:14:29.50 –> 0:14:32.510

Smith, Jimmy
I think two of the three said yes to the invitation.

0:14:32.520 –> 0:14:38.440

Smith, Jimmy
So anyway, I was just amazed at at the parallels and the parallel miracles at that.

0:14:38.500 –> 0:14:47.700

Smith, Jimmy
OK, so, so that was your last full week of work and then you have Sunday and P day and you just you have a couple days and then over there something else you were gonna share about?

0:14:47.800 –> 0:14:53.60

Smith, Jimmy
Ohh well there there were like a there were a million miracles that week, but I just saw it.

0:14:53.70 –> 0:14:56.300

Smith, Jimmy
It was really cool because I know like that’s not how everyone’s like.

0:14:56.310 –> 0:15:10.580

Smith, Jimmy
Last week is, but I just felt really grateful to see, like so many of the fruits of our laborers like coming forth that week because we had worked really hard and like we weren’t really seeing any of those like fruits or things.

0:15:10.590 –> 0:15:15.550

Smith, Jimmy
But it was really great and I’m just looking at my email to see if there’s anything else specific.

0:15:15.620 –> 0:15:19.550

Smith, Jimmy
I think that was like, well, we don’t need to end up more, but yeah, yeah.

0:15:19.620 –> 0:15:23.50

Smith, Jimmy
OK, but yeah, so my last like full day of work was like Sunday.

0:15:23.440 –> 0:15:25.930

Smith, Jimmy
And I remember I thought it would like feel different, like.

0:15:25.940 –> 0:15:38.540

Smith, Jimmy
Well, my last real cross lighting day, it just felt like a normal day and then we had P day, we had District Council P days Monday District Council was Tuesday, and then Wednesday you were traveling.

0:15:38.550 –> 0:15:39.420

Smith, Jimmy
And then mission home.

0:15:40.220 –> 0:15:41.60

Smith, Jimmy
It was insane.

0:15:42.610 –> 0:15:43.560

Smith, Jimmy
You want me to go into that or?

0:15:43.570 –> 0:15:43.820

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:15:43.830 –> 0:15:44.680

Smith, Jimmy
Well, it’s just briefly.

0:15:44.690 –> 0:15:44.880

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:15:44.890 –> 0:15:52.830

Smith, Jimmy
Talk about talk traveling to the mission home and I think you had a final interview with the Mission president and then you were off to the airport.

0:15:52.880 –> 0:15:53.450

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:15:53.510 –> 0:15:54.140

Smith, Jimmy
Something like that.

0:15:54.190 –> 0:15:57.840

Smith, Jimmy
Everyone, like every mission, does it differently, like the kind of send off.

0:15:57.850 –> 0:16:11.750

Smith, Jimmy
I think all are pretty similar, so I was in the most northern area in our mission, so I had quite a traveled down to get to Lisbon, but so we was on a train for like 8 hours or something.

0:16:11.920 –> 0:16:12.990

Smith, Jimmy
Well, that’s ridiculous.

0:16:14.730 –> 0:16:17.740

Smith, Jimmy
Several hours and hours from it was not.

0:16:17.750 –> 0:16:19.540

Smith, Jimmy
It was probably like six.

0:16:20.130 –> 0:16:21.670

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:16:21.790 –> 0:16:24.760

Smith, Jimmy
So that night we stayed with just with some other sisters.

0:16:25.820 –> 0:16:26.770

Smith, Jimmy
Thursday.

0:16:27.0 –> 0:16:45.480

Smith, Jimmy
Ohh this is another resource at the church has for Mishearings returning home Thursday morning we had a self reliance class like for us so one of the counselors in the Mission presidency and a senior couple that in art serving in our mission they gave us a self reliance class.

0:16:46.190 –> 0:16:58.250

Smith, Jimmy
Umm, so we got like a little packets and stuff and but I didn’t read it, but just kind of like it was like a big, like covering up all the churches, self reliance classes, just like condensed into one.

0:16:58.320 –> 0:17:4.90

Smith, Jimmy
So I talked about, you know, like spiritual self reliance and, like, goals with that talked about like jobs.

0:17:4.100 –> 0:17:8.430

Smith, Jimmy
We talked about marriage a little bit and like dating, I missed most of that park.

0:17:8.440 –> 0:17:13.330

Smith, Jimmy
So it’s in my interview, but I’m twenty groups, stuff like that.

0:17:13.620 –> 0:17:14.70

Smith, Jimmy
OK.

0:17:14.880 –> 0:17:15.580

Smith, Jimmy
We had lunch.

0:17:16.640 –> 0:17:19.490

Smith, Jimmy
Oh yeah, and I had my my interview with my mission president.

0:17:19.500 –> 0:17:20.550

Smith, Jimmy
And how did that go?

0:17:20.920 –> 0:17:21.770

Smith, Jimmy
It was great.

0:17:22.480 –> 0:17:23.700

Smith, Jimmy
I love my mission president.

0:17:23.710 –> 0:17:25.290

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, you had a great mission president.

0:17:25.300 –> 0:17:27.650

Smith, Jimmy
You had a really good relationship with an I felt so.

0:17:28.50 –> 0:17:28.210

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:17:28.240 –> 0:17:30.770

Smith, Jimmy
So yeah, so So what?

0:17:30.780 –> 0:17:33.700

Smith, Jimmy
What did you talk about and what were you feeling then?

0:17:34.710 –> 0:17:38.740

Smith, Jimmy
You don’t have to go into a lot of details, especially if it’s private or tender, but no.

0:17:38.950 –> 0:17:40.680

Smith, Jimmy
That’s just we.

0:17:40.730 –> 0:17:50.290

Smith, Jimmy
So we talked about where he had me try and reflect a little bit about like what were the biggest takeaways that I had, uh, things I learned like ways.

0:17:50.300 –> 0:17:51.700

Smith, Jimmy
I grew closer to the Savior.

0:17:52.750 –> 0:17:59.370

Smith, Jimmy
That was funny because I felt like I always feel like when you, like, have gained a stronger testimony.

0:17:59.380 –> 0:18:6.680

Smith, Jimmy
I always thought it would be like some like crazy thing that like made it so that you hadn’t increased testimony and love for the savior.

0:18:7.10 –> 0:18:7.930

Smith, Jimmy
But I was thinking about it.

0:18:7.940 –> 0:18:21.480

Smith, Jimmy
I was like at the end of the day, like, really what made a difference was, like my daily Scripture study and my prayers and like, taking the sacrament like it really was like those simple like things.

0:18:21.490 –> 0:18:22.100

Smith, Jimmy
Couple things.

0:18:22.110 –> 0:18:26.580

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, it wasn’t like obviously like when you get to share your testimony too.

0:18:26.590 –> 0:18:33.70

Smith, Jimmy
That’s a big thing, but I felt like those biggest moments where I like felt it most in my heart.

0:18:33.80 –> 0:18:39.250

Smith, Jimmy
Like the truthfulness of these things like was in like those private moments of like prayer and scripture study.

0:18:39.360 –> 0:18:42.270

Smith, Jimmy
So that was interesting to reflect upon.

0:18:43.20 –> 0:18:44.210

Smith, Jimmy
We talked a little bit.

0:18:44.260 –> 0:18:44.970

Smith, Jimmy
I’ll pull it up.

0:18:45.310 –> 0:18:46.640

Smith, Jimmy
Let me look at my I took some notes.

0:18:46.930 –> 0:18:51.410

Smith, Jimmy
Two, umm, we talked a bit about my goals for coming home.

0:18:51.900 –> 0:18:52.470

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:18:52.740 –> 0:18:56.90

Smith, Jimmy
And he gave some saw your my plan too, I presume.

0:18:56.180 –> 0:18:58.150

Smith, Jimmy
Ohh think so.

0:18:58.160 –> 0:19:0.660

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t know, but you talked about your goals for coming home.

0:19:0.700 –> 0:19:1.570

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah. OK.

0:19:1.890 –> 0:19:3.350

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, let me write.

0:19:3.360 –> 0:19:7.20

Smith, Jimmy
Ohh yeah, he made me a promise.

0:19:7.30 –> 0:19:17.940

Smith, Jimmy
He said if you will pray every morning in Portuguese, then you will like be like fluent enough for the rest of your life.

0:19:17.950 –> 0:19:21.40

Smith, Jimmy
And I was like, well, OK, so I’ve tried to.

0:19:21.50 –> 0:19:21.750

Smith, Jimmy
I’ve done that.

0:19:21.790 –> 0:19:22.240

Smith, Jimmy
It’s good.

0:19:22.290 –> 0:19:26.160

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, my mission president is hurting me to read the Book of Mormon.

0:19:26.170 –> 0:19:27.810

Smith, Jimmy
And Spanish, my mission language.

0:19:28.230 –> 0:19:31.390

Smith, Jimmy
Every year I’ve read it, I read it.

0:19:31.440 –> 0:19:33.490

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, I’ve rented a few times.

0:19:33.500 –> 0:19:34.190

Smith, Jimmy
That’s cool.

0:19:34.230 –> 0:19:35.920

Smith, Jimmy
My mission, but I have not done.

0:19:35.930 –> 0:19:40.490

Smith, Jimmy
Every year I’ve read the Book of Mormon holy once in prison.

0:19:40.540 –> 0:19:47.100

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, but it’s I mean, but, but that’s something in your language sounds more doable.

0:19:47.110 –> 0:19:48.690

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, keep your language up.

0:19:48.700 –> 0:19:50.190

Smith, Jimmy
So anyway, that’s great idea.

0:19:51.190 –> 0:19:52.790

Smith, Jimmy
We talked about my other goals.

0:19:52.800 –> 0:20:5.960

Smith, Jimmy
He talked about how and I thought this is interesting how serving in the church and like having callings can be a like really big source of spiritual growth because he’s like on the mission.

0:20:6.30 –> 0:20:24.70

Smith, Jimmy
Like you have this like calling of being a missionary that I’ll like through this calling and serving you like have this big amount of spiritual growth and obviously like the pace that you have can have it as a missionary and like that sometimes can’t be like you may not have that that equal pace at any other part of your life.

0:20:24.400 –> 0:20:27.410

Smith, Jimmy
Maybe I don’t know if that’s a true statement or not, but.

0:20:28.240 –> 0:20:33.200

Smith, Jimmy
And he was saying callings can help you have that same kind of spiritual growth like you have on a mission.

0:20:33.210 –> 0:20:39.240

Smith, Jimmy
So he encouraged a lot, like serving in the church, helping with the missionaries at home.

0:20:39.310 –> 0:20:40.200

Smith, Jimmy
John trying to do.

0:20:40.970 –> 0:20:45.970

Smith, Jimmy
I’m trying to like that we talked about my job.

0:20:46.10 –> 0:20:51.680

Smith, Jimmy
Like future job and school ideas, he gave me marriage advice, which was fun.

0:20:54.160 –> 0:20:56.810

Smith, Jimmy
And yeah, no, but it was really great.

0:20:56.820 –> 0:20:59.710

Smith, Jimmy
Let’s just kind of like wrap everything up like this.

0:20:59.770 –> 0:21:1.160

Smith, Jimmy
We both like cried a little bit.

0:21:1.170 –> 0:21:5.880

Smith, Jimmy
It was so sweet cause I’ve, like, loved my interviews with my mission president and I love him.

0:21:5.890 –> 0:21:9.940

Smith, Jimmy
So it was like it was kind of sad be like, oh, this is the last one.

0:21:10.30 –> 0:21:12.400

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, but it was really, really good.

0:21:13.210 –> 0:21:14.560

Smith, Jimmy
OK, very good.

0:21:14.630 –> 0:21:22.590

Smith, Jimmy
So, uh, so then you you were off to the airport at that point off to the temple at that point.

0:21:22.750 –> 0:21:23.830

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, we went to the session.

0:21:23.840 –> 0:21:31.780

Smith, Jimmy
We did a session at the temple and then we had like goodbye dinner at the mission home and this was all on Thursday on Thursday.

0:21:31.790 –> 0:21:32.820

Smith, Jimmy
OK, packed in.

0:21:33.570 –> 0:21:35.680

Smith, Jimmy
OK so and this, it was fun.

0:21:35.690 –> 0:21:37.0

Smith, Jimmy
It was like the whole day.

0:21:37.10 –> 0:21:38.960

Smith, Jimmy
It was just like me and all the other machine is going home.

0:21:38.970 –> 0:21:42.970

Smith, Jimmy
And then when we went to the mission home, like the apps and the sister apps were there.

0:21:43.270 –> 0:21:43.590

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:21:43.960 –> 0:21:45.850

Smith, Jimmy
It’s just a personals made it all the food.

0:21:45.860 –> 0:21:54.450

Smith, Jimmy
It was really good Brazilian food and we just like all chatted and we’re like reminiscing and they gave a little devotional.

0:21:54.460 –> 0:21:55.280

Smith, Jimmy
President Brussels.

0:21:55.290 –> 0:21:59.870

Smith, Jimmy
Since parcels did and we sing our mission home, it was cute.

0:22:0.690 –> 0:22:3.650

Smith, Jimmy
And we were all just, like, really sad.

0:22:4.520 –> 0:22:8.30

Smith, Jimmy
But it was like good, but yeah, lots of crime anyways.

0:22:8.40 –> 0:22:14.690

Smith, Jimmy
So that went to the hotel by the airport and we had to make sure backs were all good.

0:22:15.20 –> 0:22:19.350

Smith, Jimmy
And then, yeah, the next morning, Friday morning, we’re off to the airport.

0:22:19.560 –> 0:22:19.950

Smith, Jimmy
OK.

0:22:19.990 –> 0:22:22.590

Smith, Jimmy
So Thursday night you went to a hotel right by the airport.

0:22:22.600 –> 0:22:25.970

Smith, Jimmy
So you can get up bright and early like very early Friday morning to.

0:22:25.980 –> 0:22:30.190

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, a flight from Lisbon to New York. NY.

0:22:30.200 –> 0:22:30.650

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:22:30.660 –> 0:22:35.150

Smith, Jimmy
So we, me and the six other missionaries I was with, we.

0:22:36.680 –> 0:22:37.790

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, we had.

0:22:37.840 –> 0:22:39.190

Smith, Jimmy
We dragged all of our backs.

0:22:39.740 –> 0:22:40.950

Smith, Jimmy
It was horrible.

0:22:41.140 –> 0:22:41.840

Smith, Jimmy
Ohh my goodness.

0:22:43.260 –> 0:22:48.390

Smith, Jimmy
And the missionary knows, like, just transfers and like bags.

0:22:48.400 –> 0:22:48.710

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:22:48.720 –> 0:22:49.100

Smith, Jimmy
Horrible.

0:22:49.740 –> 0:22:53.430

Smith, Jimmy
I’m yeah, but once you like checked our bags is a lot better.

0:22:53.480 –> 0:22:55.130

Smith, Jimmy
I had a heavy duffel bag, though.

0:22:55.180 –> 0:22:56.570

Smith, Jimmy
The an elder carried for me.

0:22:56.630 –> 0:22:57.310

Smith, Jimmy
Shout out.

0:22:57.400 –> 0:22:58.250

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, awesome.

0:22:58.260 –> 0:23:0.400

Smith, Jimmy
Heavy one that it was really never a minute.

0:23:2.80 –> 0:23:7.480

Smith, Jimmy
So OK, packing is like wait like packing to go was way harder than I thought I was.

0:23:7.490 –> 0:23:9.490

Smith, Jimmy
Like I will leave everything I have.

0:23:9.500 –> 0:23:9.850

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:23:9.920 –> 0:23:13.590

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t wanna take anything home like like like, closes.

0:23:13.600 –> 0:23:16.900

Smith, Jimmy
Random like shampoo like hairbrush, like?

0:23:16.910 –> 0:23:17.790

Smith, Jimmy
Just whatever.

0:23:17.900 –> 0:23:19.430

Smith, Jimmy
But that thing you could well.

0:23:19.440 –> 0:23:19.810

Smith, Jimmy
Nope.

0:23:19.820 –> 0:23:24.890

Smith, Jimmy
Well, I thought I would, but then I was like, well, then I have to buy it all.

0:23:25.820 –> 0:23:29.230

Smith, Jimmy
So I’m not doing that, so I left a lot less than I thought I would.

0:23:29.600 –> 0:23:31.330

Smith, Jimmy
So then I saw a lot of stuff, but I left all I could.

0:23:32.710 –> 0:23:33.290

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:23:33.330 –> 0:23:46.640

Smith, Jimmy
Anyways, see how so we flew from uh Lisbon to JFK and then uh didn’t have about 5 hour later there at JFK airport in New York before.

0:23:47.410 –> 0:23:56.50

Smith, Jimmy
Well, yeah, the six, each of you 6 missions from there split off to your, you know, whether they’re going to Salt Lake or North Carolina.

0:23:56.60 –> 0:23:57.940

Smith, Jimmy
And Hannah’s case coming to Dallas.

0:23:58.320 –> 0:24:0.70

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, yeah.

0:24:0.140 –> 0:24:1.590

Smith, Jimmy
Yep, it was fun too.

0:24:1.600 –> 0:24:3.840

Smith, Jimmy
In the airport, we met a bunch of members of the church.

0:24:3.850 –> 0:24:6.110

Smith, Jimmy
We met Ohh two Brazilian members.

0:24:6.120 –> 0:24:7.910

Smith, Jimmy
We met a Portuguese member.

0:24:8.360 –> 0:24:10.210

Smith, Jimmy
It was fun and we were so excited.

0:24:10.220 –> 0:24:13.850

Smith, Jimmy
We were like we even spoke Portuguese in like 7 hours.

0:24:14.100 –> 0:24:14.990

Smith, Jimmy
We’re so excited.

0:24:15.0 –> 0:24:20.240

Smith, Jimmy
We’re like, yeah, missionaries always stick out of their pork because obviously they’re dressed.

0:24:20.250 –> 0:24:22.90

Smith, Jimmy
And their name tag and you were still.

0:24:22.100 –> 0:24:29.380

Smith, Jimmy
You haven’t been really, so you’re still full time missionaries, and you’re supposed to stay as much as possible with companion and with mission rules, right?

0:24:29.390 –> 0:24:29.960

Smith, Jimmy
Right, right.

0:24:30.730 –> 0:24:31.870

Smith, Jimmy
OK cool so.

0:24:33.870 –> 0:24:42.270

Smith, Jimmy
Anything else you want to say about that, or should we jump to you arrived in Dallas where me and your mom and siblings met you at the airport?

0:24:42.320 –> 0:24:45.150

Smith, Jimmy
I will just add like Oh my goodness.

0:24:45.160 –> 0:24:50.410

Smith, Jimmy
Like that was the most like I felt so anxious that whole entire day.

0:24:50.500 –> 0:24:53.790

Smith, Jimmy
It was just like, oh, no, it’s all coming to an end.

0:24:54.260 –> 0:25:4.10

Smith, Jimmy
Like I have to leave Portugal, I have to, like, leave all those people that I like met and, like, loved and like, it’s just like I don’t know what.

0:25:4.20 –> 0:25:4.610

Smith, Jimmy
I’ll go back.

0:25:4.620 –> 0:25:7.830

Smith, Jimmy
So that was just kind of like it’s just it was just kind of like sad.

0:25:7.840 –> 0:25:8.250

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:25:8.330 –> 0:25:14.400

Smith, Jimmy
And then it was like, once we, like got out of Portugal like, OK, I’m like that it’s there now.

0:25:16.330 –> 0:25:21.40

Smith, Jimmy
But then he was like, oh man, I’ve got, like, a whole bunch of other things to like, think about and worry about.

0:25:21.50 –> 0:25:25.320

Smith, Jimmy
And I felt like, you know, that last week to couple, you know, transfer.

0:25:25.330 –> 0:25:26.330

Smith, Jimmy
I was just trying to like.

0:25:26.390 –> 0:25:28.610

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, just what’s the word?

0:25:30.450 –> 0:25:31.360

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, like?

0:25:31.370 –> 0:25:32.260

Smith, Jimmy
Enjoy that.

0:25:32.310 –> 0:25:36.440

Smith, Jimmy
And like I don’t know the word I’m thinking, of course he’s up.

0:25:37.770 –> 0:25:39.220

Smith, Jimmy
Just like that, end of the mission.

0:25:39.230 –> 0:25:42.240

Smith, Jimmy
Like, really like worked really hard.

0:25:42.250 –> 0:25:42.430

Smith, Jimmy
Like.

0:25:42.440 –> 0:25:42.660

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:25:42.670 –> 0:25:43.870

Smith, Jimmy
Take advantage of it the most.

0:25:43.880 –> 0:25:45.30

Smith, Jimmy
Make the most there you go.

0:25:45.650 –> 0:25:48.900

Smith, Jimmy
Umm, so it was like I felt like I didn’t like think.

0:25:49.340 –> 0:25:52.940

Smith, Jimmy
I mean, I thought about home a lot, but I like.

0:25:52.990 –> 0:25:56.940

Smith, Jimmy
For me, I was just like I just put it in the back of my mind because I was just like I can’t right now.

0:25:56.950 –> 0:26:2.880

Smith, Jimmy
I can’t think about that, but then on that traveling day home, I was just like, oh, man, it’s all coming.

0:26:3.590 –> 0:26:8.700

Smith, Jimmy
So it was like, of course, like lots of excitement like happy emotions.

0:26:8.770 –> 0:26:11.870

Smith, Jimmy
But it was a lot more like, just like, Oh my goodness.

0:26:11.880 –> 0:26:13.80

Smith, Jimmy
Like scary.

0:26:13.140 –> 0:26:19.790

Smith, Jimmy
More than I’ve ever thought it would be because I was always like, I won’t be that missionary because, like, stared in like, sad to go home.

0:26:19.800 –> 0:26:25.710

Smith, Jimmy
I’ll just be fine, but then it’s like when you really dedicate yourself like to the work and the loving the people.

0:26:25.720 –> 0:26:28.530

Smith, Jimmy
It’s like it’s harder to leave than you think it would be.

0:26:28.580 –> 0:26:29.30

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:26:29.80 –> 0:26:29.370

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:26:29.380 –> 0:26:34.470

Smith, Jimmy
Well, really is they always say mixed emotions and that’s described because you love your mission.

0:26:34.480 –> 0:26:35.290

Smith, Jimmy
You love the people there.

0:26:35.300 –> 0:26:36.150

Smith, Jimmy
You don’t want to leave.

0:26:36.380 –> 0:26:37.340

Smith, Jimmy
You missed home.

0:26:37.360 –> 0:26:38.380

Smith, Jimmy
Didn’t want to stay in?

0:26:38.560 –> 0:26:40.550

Smith, Jimmy
Well, the answer like I was that was done.

0:26:40.560 –> 0:26:40.940

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:26:40.990 –> 0:26:44.150

Smith, Jimmy
And you were looking forward to seeing your family again.

0:26:44.160 –> 0:26:47.90

Smith, Jimmy
And and and moving on with your life and so forth.

0:26:47.100 –> 0:26:54.590

Smith, Jimmy
So it really is this, this probably flood of emotions as as you’ve described and it’s it’s a flood of emotion for parents as well.

0:26:54.670 –> 0:27:0.470

Smith, Jimmy
I mean I I uh, uh, your mom, my wife Heather.

0:27:0.530 –> 0:27:4.570

Smith, Jimmy
She had a countdown on her phone from like more than a month.

0:27:4.700 –> 0:27:5.950

Smith, Jimmy
It’s like this countdown.

0:27:6.400 –> 0:27:10.410

Smith, Jimmy
Penney’s Hannah will be home in 31 days and 20 days.

0:27:10.420 –> 0:27:11.590

Smith, Jimmy
She was counting down.

0:27:11.900 –> 0:27:14.490

Smith, Jimmy
She she missed you greatly as than me.

0:27:14.500 –> 0:27:16.950

Smith, Jimmy
And and and all all the family.

0:27:17.640 –> 0:27:29.150

Smith, Jimmy
So but maybe we can talk transition and talk about that now as as a family, we did like most other families of share my screen really briefly.

0:27:29.900 –> 0:27:30.180

Smith, Jimmy
Uh.

0:27:31.400 –> 0:27:35.110

Smith, Jimmy
The I have some pictures I wanted to show.

0:27:35.180 –> 0:27:36.200

Smith, Jimmy
Well, one picture.

0:27:36.210 –> 0:27:41.400

Smith, Jimmy
I’ll, I’ll show you know, like, like a lot of families do.

0:27:41.410 –> 0:27:43.110

Smith, Jimmy
We went to the airport to meet Hannah.

0:27:43.120 –> 0:27:49.30

Smith, Jimmy
We were there, you know, we thought we were there plenty early and and we were there plenty early, but we you know.

0:27:52.190 –> 0:27:53.550

Smith, Jimmy
We made these posters.

0:27:53.560 –> 0:28:0.250

Smith, Jimmy
Everybody had a poster and we were, you know, we were running around when we got to the airport, we kind of frantic because we went to where we thought you were going to be.

0:28:0.260 –> 0:28:5.750

Smith, Jimmy
And then we went to this other terminal and then we came back and we were worried we were going to miss you.

0:28:5.760 –> 0:28:13.510

Smith, Jimmy
But then we were way early because then we were still, you know, we were standing outside the door where you came out for at least 20 or 30 minutes before you finally came out.

0:28:13.550 –> 0:28:14.370

Smith, Jimmy
So it was.

0:28:14.380 –> 0:28:15.110

Smith, Jimmy
It was totally fine.

0:28:17.280 –> 0:28:27.510

Smith, Jimmy
Well, the DFW airport is huge, is one of the biggest in in the in the nation and the signage was not clear because we went to the right place to begin with.

0:28:27.520 –> 0:28:29.570

Smith, Jimmy
But then it didn’t seem like the right place.

0:28:29.580 –> 0:28:32.890

Smith, Jimmy
So we went to the other place and then we came back anyway.

0:28:32.900 –> 0:28:33.410

Smith, Jimmy
It was about.

0:28:33.420 –> 0:28:44.970

Smith, Jimmy
But anyway, we made pictures, so there’s myself and my wife and and three of our our four kids, four ABS on the phone.

0:28:45.40 –> 0:28:45.450

Smith, Jimmy
Five.

0:28:45.500 –> 0:28:47.130

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, our son’s at BYU.

0:28:47.140 –> 0:28:49.90

Smith, Jimmy
He’s there on the well.

0:28:49.100 –> 0:28:57.60

Smith, Jimmy
We so Hannah plus three of our kids that are living at home, plus our college kid A+.

0:28:57.70 –> 0:29:0.420

Smith, Jimmy
Truman was tired and didn’t want to come.

0:29:1.20 –> 0:29:5.130

Smith, Jimmy
He’s he’s he’s our son with some mental health challenges.

0:29:5.140 –> 0:29:6.280

Smith, Jimmy
So he was at home.

0:29:6.690 –> 0:29:7.720

Smith, Jimmy
Uh, very way.

0:29:7.730 –> 0:29:8.980

Smith, Jimmy
So we met Hannah Anderson.

0:29:8.990 –> 0:29:12.800

Smith, Jimmy
This was the picture, so just wanted to and you’re looking at it.

0:29:12.810 –> 0:29:14.730

Smith, Jimmy
Yes, I look exhausted.

0:29:15.250 –> 0:29:17.760

Smith, Jimmy
It’s because I had traveled for like 18 hours.

0:29:17.770 –> 0:29:18.840

Smith, Jimmy
So yes, stupid.

0:29:18.850 –> 0:29:24.660

Smith, Jimmy
Traveling all day and this was like 10:10 PM, ten or 10:30.

0:29:24.770 –> 0:29:29.620

Smith, Jimmy
Our time like 3 it’s would have been like, yeah, 3:00 AM this time.

0:29:29.630 –> 0:29:34.360

Smith, Jimmy
So like 4 no by that time.

0:29:34.370 –> 0:29:40.20

Smith, Jimmy
So so that that’s from our perspective as parents and family, you coming home?

0:29:40.30 –> 0:29:46.380

Smith, Jimmy
We waited anxiously and of course, when you walk through that gate, everybody came and gave you big hugs and so forth.

0:29:46.610 –> 0:29:51.580

Smith, Jimmy
What were your thoughts and emotions at that time bouncing.

0:29:52.120 –> 0:29:52.950

Smith, Jimmy
That’s exciting.

0:29:53.10 –> 0:29:54.910

Smith, Jimmy
OK, it was just. It was crazy.

0:29:54.920 –> 0:29:56.30

Smith, Jimmy
I was like what?

0:29:56.180 –> 0:29:57.620

Smith, Jimmy
And like feel like I never left.

0:29:58.650 –> 0:30:0.280

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t know that’s how it felt for me.

0:30:0.290 –> 0:30:1.920

Smith, Jimmy
I’m just like ohh my gosh.

0:30:1.930 –> 0:30:7.850

Smith, Jimmy
Like I’m back, it was like, wait like on that like it just it.

0:30:7.910 –> 0:30:11.640

Smith, Jimmy
It felt kind of like surreal I was, but it was.

0:30:11.650 –> 0:30:12.580

Smith, Jimmy
So I don’t know.

0:30:12.630 –> 0:30:12.960

Smith, Jimmy
It’s good.

0:30:12.970 –> 0:30:15.720

Smith, Jimmy
Just like ohh yeah.

0:30:15.760 –> 0:30:21.940

Smith, Jimmy
You guys are cute and everything is so big I think lies is so like tall and like.

0:30:21.990 –> 0:30:25.0

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, the charity devices right now, she’s probably 10.

0:30:25.10 –> 0:30:28.0

Smith, Jimmy
When you left, all the kids are sprouted up.

0:30:28.310 –> 0:30:38.870

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, but it’s interesting that you say it’s like you never left because I’ve kind of had that same feeling like, like within a day or two is like, Hanna’s back in our family, in our home.

0:30:38.880 –> 0:30:41.590

Smith, Jimmy
It’s like she never left, even though she was gone for 18 months.

0:30:42.300 –> 0:30:44.890

Smith, Jimmy
Well, it’s crazy too, because it’s like in my brain.

0:30:44.900 –> 0:30:49.790

Smith, Jimmy
I’m like, I’m just back in high school cause like I haven’t really lived at home since I like left high school.

0:30:49.840 –> 0:30:50.770

Smith, Jimmy
I liked it.

0:30:50.880 –> 0:30:51.500

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:30:51.740 –> 0:30:52.110

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:30:52.150 –> 0:30:58.370

Smith, Jimmy
So yeah, cuz you graduated high school and then soon you’re off to BYU and then you came back briefly and then off to the mission.

0:30:58.380 –> 0:31:0.210

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, but it’s good.

0:31:0.220 –> 0:31:13.740

Smith, Jimmy
I’m like, I’m like trying to spend every spare second I have like my siblings and with mom and dad and talking and just like, taking it all in because yeah, it’s precious time.

0:31:13.790 –> 0:31:14.290

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah.

0:31:14.350 –> 0:31:19.370

Smith, Jimmy
So a let’s briefly talk about you got home.

0:31:19.380 –> 0:31:22.790

Smith, Jimmy
It was late on a Friday night on Saturday.

0:31:22.800 –> 0:31:29.230

Smith, Jimmy
Let’s briefly talk about how you were released by your state president and then Sunday was your homecoming talk.

0:31:29.240 –> 0:31:31.30

Smith, Jimmy
So let’s talk about those things.

0:31:31.160 –> 0:31:33.240

Smith, Jimmy
Talk about like billion things back to back.

0:31:35.60 –> 0:31:36.140

Smith, Jimmy
So yeah, Saturday.

0:31:37.680 –> 0:31:38.50

Smith, Jimmy
Uh.

0:31:38.500 –> 0:31:40.170

Smith, Jimmy
Ohh yeah, stake president.

0:31:40.640 –> 0:31:45.490

Smith, Jimmy
So he came over to our house at, like, 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon.

0:31:45.680 –> 0:31:56.150

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, he had some meetings all morning on Saturday morning, so as soon as he was done, he came over to our house, which was a surprise to me because when I was released from my mission, I went to the stake center.

0:31:56.240 –> 0:32:2.250

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t know if if that’s if that’s just differs based on the preferences of the state president.

0:32:2.260 –> 0:32:4.150

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t know, but you know his?

0:32:4.640 –> 0:32:5.190

Smith, Jimmy
His.

0:32:5.240 –> 0:32:12.640

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, his executive secretary reached out to me a couple weeks ago before that and said, hey, he wants to come to your home to release Hannah.

0:32:12.710 –> 0:32:13.520

Smith, Jimmy
So.

0:32:13.590 –> 0:32:14.150

Smith, Jimmy
So he did that?

0:32:15.350 –> 0:32:15.910

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:32:16.300 –> 0:32:21.960

Smith, Jimmy
So yeah, I like had spent that morning still as like a set apartment share was like my tag and stuff.

0:32:22.10 –> 0:32:25.410

Smith, Jimmy
And yeah, so he came over, he met with me, like, privately.

0:32:25.420 –> 0:32:26.170

Smith, Jimmy
We talked about.

0:32:27.930 –> 0:32:33.600

Smith, Jimmy
And we talk about, we talk about you mentioned my my plan, umm and.

0:32:36.60 –> 0:32:41.310

Smith, Jimmy
Basically was like you did good and he was like sometimes or not.

0:32:41.320 –> 0:32:46.610

Smith, Jimmy
Sometimes, most of the time, it’s the best missionaries that have the hardest time coming home.

0:32:46.620 –> 0:32:55.450

Smith, Jimmy
He’s like, so if you feel like you’re having a hard time, it’s probably because you were a good missionary and you’re actually, like, obedient and dedicated and consecrated.

0:32:55.460 –> 0:33:0.440

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, this is good to know, so keep that in mind.

0:33:1.970 –> 0:33:8.580

Smith, Jimmy
But anyways, yeah, we just basically talked about that and then we met, we grow the whole family were in the room.

0:33:9.240 –> 0:33:14.210

Smith, Jimmy
Umm, it’s like interesting when you get set apart to be a missionary.

0:33:14.220 –> 0:33:22.280

Smith, Jimmy
It’s like they do it by the laying on of hands and it’s like not like very formal, but it’s like it’s more formal.

0:33:22.290 –> 0:33:24.250

Smith, Jimmy
Well, you have that formal step of the mission.

0:33:24.260 –> 0:33:28.0

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, the state president putting his hands on your head is setting your partner right there.

0:33:28.50 –> 0:33:31.260

Smith, Jimmy
But when you’re released, it’s it’s just thanks.

0:33:31.270 –> 0:33:34.980

Smith, Jimmy
There’s no setting setting on of hands and just shook my hands.

0:33:35.370 –> 0:33:36.420

Smith, Jimmy
And thank you for your service.

0:33:37.400 –> 0:33:38.970

Smith, Jimmy
So he was like, Are you ready?

0:33:38.980 –> 0:33:40.40

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, huh?

0:33:40.540 –> 0:33:45.540

Smith, Jimmy
And he just, like, stood up and shook my hand and said, yeah, like, thank you for your service.

0:33:45.550 –> 0:33:47.770

Smith, Jimmy
You are hereby like released.

0:33:47.880 –> 0:33:49.620

Smith, Jimmy
You take off your tag.

0:33:49.630 –> 0:33:56.130

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, I know he was crying and I took my tag off and it was sad.

0:33:56.140 –> 0:33:58.690

Smith, Jimmy
And then I was, like, holding it.

0:33:58.700 –> 0:34:1.930

Smith, Jimmy
And I kept like trying to put it back on and it kept going to put it back on.

0:34:2.120 –> 0:34:14.100

Smith, Jimmy
So I was like ohh no, I was like why isn’t my title like it’s just umm but it was just like, no, no, they always say like you know, it doesn’t matter if you have the tag.

0:34:14.110 –> 0:34:17.160

Smith, Jimmy
You’re not cause like it’s the name of Christ is written in your heart.

0:34:17.170 –> 0:34:18.400

Smith, Jimmy
Like it’ll stay there.

0:34:18.470 –> 0:34:24.740

Smith, Jimmy
So just kind of try and keep that in mind, but it’s still like it’s kind of like sad to take it off.

0:34:24.840 –> 0:34:30.790

Smith, Jimmy
And then at the same time I was like, OK, like this is a relief like I did it.

0:34:31.720 –> 0:34:37.390

Smith, Jimmy
And like I I had, I was talking to one of my old companions and she was like you did it.

0:34:37.400 –> 0:34:41.380

Smith, Jimmy
Like, celebrate like, look at like, look at what you did.

0:34:41.390 –> 0:34:50.560

Smith, Jimmy
You just did these like 18 months of, like, precious service for the Lord and like, that was like, hard and like you did it.

0:34:51.260 –> 0:34:53.400

Smith, Jimmy
And you lived in another country and you learned a language.

0:34:53.410 –> 0:34:57.730

Smith, Jimmy
And you’ve taught people and you love people like pat yourself on the back and not don’t.

0:34:57.740 –> 0:35:5.410

Smith, Jimmy
Just like while the when you said, you know, like it’s like now go like be excited and go like continue with your life.

0:35:5.420 –> 0:35:10.610

Smith, Jimmy
It’s like your missions not over, like you’re still you can still serve the Lord.

0:35:10.740 –> 0:35:14.170

Smith, Jimmy
So anyways, just yeah.

0:35:14.180 –> 0:35:19.380

Smith, Jimmy
So that’s that’s interesting that you put it that way because like I, I wasn’t planning to talk about this.

0:35:19.390 –> 0:35:25.810

Smith, Jimmy
But the week after Hannah came home, I had her come to my office and talked to my colleagues just at at kind of a luncheon.

0:35:25.820 –> 0:35:35.950

Smith, Jimmy
Learn just because while she was gone for 18 months, every once in a while, I would talk to my all my coworkers knew she was on a mission and I would show him pictures.

0:35:35.960 –> 0:35:39.420

Smith, Jimmy
And they would ask about House Hannah doing in Portugal says so.

0:35:39.430 –> 0:35:45.620

Smith, Jimmy
I thought I’ll just have her come talk to them, but every one of my colleagues at work and and none of them are members of the church.

0:35:45.990 –> 0:35:47.240

Smith, Jimmy
We’re so complementary.

0:35:47.250 –> 0:35:52.140

Smith, Jimmy
They’re just like, so amazed at the sacrifice that our missionaries make.

0:35:52.150 –> 0:36:9.360

Smith, Jimmy
And I think I think it’s, it’s taken for granted somewhat within the church that your missionary service, but it is a huge accomplishment to totally give up your life for 18 months or 24 months for the elders and to leave home and leave school and work and and family and friends behind.

0:36:9.370 –> 0:36:12.300

Smith, Jimmy
I mean it’s it’s it’s an amazing sacrifice.

0:36:12.370 –> 0:36:13.410

Smith, Jimmy
It’s a great experience.

0:36:14.50 –> 0:36:20.280

Smith, Jimmy
You I you grew in, in, in amazing ways both physically and spiritually.

0:36:20.810 –> 0:36:23.620

Smith, Jimmy
But it is a an amazing accomplishment.

0:36:23.670 –> 0:36:28.860

Smith, Jimmy
And as as as you know, I don’t like to use the word proud.

0:36:28.870 –> 0:36:37.870

Smith, Jimmy
So you should be proud of yourself, but you should be very pleased of yourself and of the the accomplishments of serving and faithful mission.

0:36:41.180 –> 0:36:52.10

Smith, Jimmy
So umm, let’s try and wrap this up within the next few minutes, but let’s you’ve been released on Saturday.

0:36:52.20 –> 0:36:57.160

Smith, Jimmy
On Sunday, you gave a homecoming Talk 1 won’t you just briefly talk about that and the rest of the day Sunday?

0:36:57.850 –> 0:37:1.290

Smith, Jimmy
Umm yeah, just spoke at church about.

0:37:3.180 –> 0:37:7.730

Smith, Jimmy
I tried to sum up my entire 18 months in basically 12.

0:37:8.0 –> 0:37:10.800

Smith, Jimmy
Now, I don’t feel like 15 minutes 15 minutes.

0:37:11.450 –> 0:37:12.110

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:37:12.590 –> 0:37:13.820

Smith, Jimmy
Which it was so funny.

0:37:13.830 –> 0:37:27.940

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, I could not even think about what I would possibly could say like about so much in so little time, but I ended up and I ended up writing it like the night before because I didn’t.

0:37:28.50 –> 0:37:46.550

Smith, Jimmy
I’ve tried to write it on my travel day home, but I couldn’t focus and but I mean I guess you guys don’t need to know what I spoke about, but I spoke about like the Holy Ghost and the influence of that has like on the mission and just in general and life as a member of the church and as a person.

0:37:47.200 –> 0:37:52.90

Smith, Jimmy
Umm and yeah, it was a good experience.

0:37:52.220 –> 0:37:55.390

Smith, Jimmy
I bore my testimony at the end of what you can’t worry.

0:37:55.680 –> 0:37:57.170

Smith, Jimmy
And I did cry a little bit.

0:37:57.380 –> 0:37:59.780

Smith, Jimmy
So, umm yeah.

0:37:59.840 –> 0:38:8.110

Smith, Jimmy
And then that later that day, we had a little open house and we just had some food in our house and we invited people to come say Hi to me if they wanted. Yeah.

0:38:8.120 –> 0:38:12.390

Smith, Jimmy
And yeah, most of the people from the ward pain that like, you mean yeah.

0:38:12.500 –> 0:38:24.600

Smith, Jimmy
From when I was like a use but it was good and just fun little like it was fun to see everyone again at church and we’re in a different ward now than we were when I left because their boundaries changed.

0:38:24.610 –> 0:38:28.30

Smith, Jimmy
But there were still a lot of familiar faces, so it was like, yeah.

0:38:28.850 –> 0:38:34.610

Smith, Jimmy
But yeah, so OK, so UM then.

0:38:34.890 –> 0:38:39.600

Smith, Jimmy
So then it’s it’s it’s kind of like being thrown back into life.

0:38:39.610 –> 0:38:40.950

Smith, Jimmy
You, you you got released.

0:38:40.960 –> 0:38:44.690

Smith, Jimmy
You did your homecoming talk and it’s.

0:38:44.740 –> 0:38:51.40

Smith, Jimmy
Let’s let’s briefly talk about well, well, the transition into regular civilian life.

0:38:51.50 –> 0:38:57.560

Smith, Jimmy
You applied for a job and and we don’t need to go into a lot of details and and maybe we’ll have other podcasts.

0:38:57.570 –> 0:39:8.860

Smith, Jimmy
We’ll go into more detail about life after the mission, but you’re you’re planning to go to back to BYU in the fall, and until then you’re going to work.

0:39:9.270 –> 0:39:10.320

Smith, Jimmy
Try and earn some money.

0:39:10.330 –> 0:39:11.790

Smith, Jimmy
Pay the bills, you.

0:39:13.10 –> 0:39:24.250

Smith, Jimmy
UM, you’ve you’ve been accepted being FSY counselor this summer, but until then you have two or three months, and so you’re just working.

0:39:24.850 –> 0:39:26.240

Smith, Jimmy
How’s that been going back?

0:39:26.250 –> 0:39:27.440

Smith, Jimmy
Back to work and.

0:39:28.950 –> 0:39:37.120

Smith, Jimmy
Anything else you want to say about getting that first week or two back and getting used to regular life?

0:39:37.130 –> 0:39:39.170

Smith, Jimmy
Because now you’re going to work every day.

0:39:39.180 –> 0:39:40.360

Smith, Jimmy
You’ve been home for two weeks now.

0:39:40.370 –> 0:39:43.520

Smith, Jimmy
You’re going to work and kind of back into yeah.

0:39:43.620 –> 0:39:44.490

Smith, Jimmy
Life where?

0:39:44.530 –> 0:39:45.670

Smith, Jimmy
How’s that feel?

0:39:45.680 –> 0:39:46.360

Smith, Jimmy
How’s that going?

0:39:47.430 –> 0:39:49.0

Smith, Jimmy
It feels so weird.

0:39:49.890 –> 0:39:51.100

Smith, Jimmy
It’s interesting.

0:39:53.160 –> 0:39:57.470

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, it’s just like, feels like a fish out of water.

0:39:57.960 –> 0:40:0.590

Smith, Jimmy
That’s I I don’t.

0:40:0.600 –> 0:40:1.850

Smith, Jimmy
I can’t even describe.

0:40:1.860 –> 0:40:2.890

Smith, Jimmy
It’s so interesting.

0:40:3.900 –> 0:40:9.500

Smith, Jimmy
My first week back I wasn’t working and I was just doing like checkups, appointments like Dennis and stuff.

0:40:9.570 –> 0:40:10.210

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:40:11.40 –> 0:40:17.790

Smith, Jimmy
And then I started working the week after it, which is like quick turn around, but I didn’t want too much time, just like sitting and not doing anything.

0:40:19.60 –> 0:40:31.390

Smith, Jimmy
It’s so interesting because even like working like every day it’s it feels different than like being busy as a missionary, because like, you’re busy, like, doing things.

0:40:31.500 –> 0:40:33.930

Smith, Jimmy
But it just it’s like feels so different.

0:40:33.970 –> 0:40:44.50

Smith, Jimmy
Umm it’s interesting cuz like it’s crazy like I just went through these like 18 months and I just like have so many things about it that I like.

0:40:44.60 –> 0:40:54.860

Smith, Jimmy
I’m thinking about but I can’t like put it into words and it’s not like most people I interact with like know about it or like would know how to ask me about it or like want to talk to me about it.

0:40:54.970 –> 0:41:2.930

Smith, Jimmy
So it’s hard because I’m just like, well, there’s so many things and it’s not like like most of the people around me did not just get home from my mission.

0:41:2.940 –> 0:41:21.270

Smith, Jimmy
So that’s kind of just like this is just like me and like trying to figure it out, I really should just reach out to more friends that just got home, but it’s like it’s crazy because, you know, you spent 18 months like messaging people and calling people like crazy and like, literally my will to miss message.

0:41:21.280 –> 0:41:24.480

Smith, Jimmy
Anyone is like out the window you’re talking about?

0:41:24.490 –> 0:41:33.50

Smith, Jimmy
Like investigators, friends that you’re messaging Alzheimer or the other missionaries were both just like people in general.

0:41:33.180 –> 0:41:35.110

Smith, Jimmy
Like for me, I’m kind of like introverted.

0:41:35.120 –> 0:41:46.230

Smith, Jimmy
So me reaching out to all my friends, return missionaries like probably be good to talk to them and like stroike stay caught up and like we can help each other and the transition.

0:41:46.240 –> 0:41:50.630

Smith, Jimmy
But it’s kind of just like, whoa, like it’s so much and just.

0:41:50.640 –> 0:41:54.630

Smith, Jimmy
I’m not doing great at talking to all of them, but that’s just part of the life.

0:41:54.640 –> 0:41:56.630

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, but but there is.

0:41:56.640 –> 0:42:6.620

Smith, Jimmy
You are going to the Yasa brand and our state is wysa branch and there are a couple recently returned missionaries that error Ghost image ohm.

0:42:6.990 –> 0:42:9.600

Smith, Jimmy
But yeah, basically I don’t know.

0:42:9.610 –> 0:42:11.80

Smith, Jimmy
There’s some of sum it up.

0:42:11.90 –> 0:42:12.720

Smith, Jimmy
It’s very interesting. And it’s.

0:42:14.0 –> 0:42:20.350

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, I haven’t really processed what’s happening yet, but it’s.

0:42:20.980 –> 0:42:27.650

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, it’s interesting to think about like all the way I perceived going home the way it would be.

0:42:27.820 –> 0:42:30.200

Smith, Jimmy
Just like freedom?

0:42:30.210 –> 0:42:30.990

Smith, Jimmy
Yes.

0:42:31.40 –> 0:42:32.590

Smith, Jimmy
And I’m like you’re doing it.

0:42:32.600 –> 0:42:38.650

Smith, Jimmy
And I’m like, I have so much I need to do like so, even though like, I’m not going to school right now.

0:42:38.660 –> 0:42:43.990

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, I’m not like, yeah, they’re not going to school, but it’s just like ohh wow.

0:42:44.0 –> 0:42:55.280

Smith, Jimmy
Like normal life like I was thinking today, it’s like, wow, it’s like I just wish I could do what I was doing on the mission, just like, only focus on, like Jesus Christ 24/7.

0:42:55.330 –> 0:43:0.220

Smith, Jimmy
And I didn’t realize what, like a blessing that was just to like, I don’t have to worry about myself.

0:43:0.230 –> 0:43:3.40

Smith, Jimmy
And I have to worry about my financial needs.

0:43:3.370 –> 0:43:4.200

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t have to worry.

0:43:4.210 –> 0:43:5.540

Smith, Jimmy
I don’t have to worry about these things.

0:43:5.550 –> 0:43:9.670

Smith, Jimmy
I can just like focus on this and like it was interesting on my mission.

0:43:9.680 –> 0:43:11.310

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, I would like be like ohh.

0:43:11.320 –> 0:43:16.390

Smith, Jimmy
But I need to like take care of myself like and I would think that I was getting like caught up in myself.

0:43:16.440 –> 0:43:17.610

Smith, Jimmy
I was not.

0:43:17.680 –> 0:43:22.410

Smith, Jimmy
I was just like, caught up in the fact that I thought I was caught getting caught up in myself.

0:43:22.420 –> 0:43:24.330

Smith, Jimmy
But you’re so selfless.

0:43:24.880 –> 0:43:26.470

Smith, Jimmy
And you’re so focused on Jesus Christ.

0:43:26.480 –> 0:43:32.280

Smith, Jimmy
And now I’m like, it’s kind of frustrating because I’m like I I’ve heard before.

0:43:32.290 –> 0:43:34.60

Smith, Jimmy
Missionaries like return missions get pressure.

0:43:34.70 –> 0:43:39.690

Smith, Jimmy
They can’t spend an hour in the scriptures everyday and like I’m frustrated that I like I probably could and probably find the time.

0:43:39.800 –> 0:43:41.990

Smith, Jimmy
But it’s just so different to like, I’m frustrated.

0:43:42.0 –> 0:43:46.40

Smith, Jimmy
I can’t find that solid hour to have like a solid person sitting.

0:43:46.50 –> 0:43:53.620

Smith, Jimmy
I’m like frustrated that not every conversation I have I can talk about Jesus Christ like naturally and normally in the way I would like to.

0:43:53.630 –> 0:44:0.780

Smith, Jimmy
And it’s frustrating that I have to like, think about money and I have to think about a job and I have to think about school and friendships and family.

0:44:1.70 –> 0:44:2.120

Smith, Jimmy
Which is it? Bad?

0:44:2.170 –> 0:44:9.500

Smith, Jimmy
Those aren’t bad things, but it’s just like a hard perspective shift because I it’s not that I don’t want to have to focus on those things.

0:44:9.570 –> 0:44:18.540

Smith, Jimmy
I’m just kind of like frustrated and annoyed that it’s like, why do I have to focus on those things when like, there’s this other thing that’s just like, way more important?

0:44:18.550 –> 0:44:22.160

Smith, Jimmy
And above all these things that you can’t focus all your time on.

0:44:22.230 –> 0:44:32.240

Smith, Jimmy
So then it’s like how do I integrate that into every bit of my time and how do I prioritize that in a way that I maybe didn’t before my mission?

0:44:32.720 –> 0:44:41.140

Smith, Jimmy
And like, how do I take what I learned in prioritizing him in every 2nd and still apply that now and still apply that in like everything in my life?

0:44:41.220 –> 0:44:47.330

Smith, Jimmy
Yeah, I think that’s a an amazing insight and and an important learning.

0:44:47.540 –> 0:44:53.950

Smith, Jimmy
And I I hope I’m not discouraging you by saying this, but I don’t know that it gets much better the rest of life.

0:44:53.960 –> 0:45:18.980

Smith, Jimmy
Because I mean, I still deal with that same thing because as a parent of six kids and a full time job and looking after, you know, my family and their needs and trying to take care of the house and the yard and fulfilling church callings and feeling like the call that I feel from the Lord to, like, do Mission Prep website and and stuff.

0:45:19.30 –> 0:45:28.980

Smith, Jimmy
Anyway, balancing all that but also trying to find that like you said and and hour a day to do Scripture study, that’s nearly impossible.

0:45:28.990 –> 0:45:37.210

Smith, Jimmy
So I have to do it in chunks here and there and and make use of time but but figuring out that balance in life it’s tough.

0:45:37.220 –> 0:45:38.470

Smith, Jimmy
It’s rewarding you.

0:45:38.480 –> 0:45:42.620

Smith, Jimmy
You can do it, but it is very different than it being a missionary.

0:45:42.630 –> 0:45:54.760

Smith, Jimmy
Like you said, you’re so focused on as a missionary, you don’t have to worry about earning money, or you don’t have all these distractions are left, but to the wayside or or.

0:45:54.830 –> 0:46:2.160

Smith, Jimmy
Or, you know your parents and other people handle those, so you can just focus on finding and teaching and inviting people to come unto Christ.

0:46:2.170 –> 0:46:15.540

Smith, Jimmy
And it’s it’s a wonderful time in your life to be a missionary, but now you’re transitioning to another phase and you’re going to you’ll learn how to master that as well, no doubt about it.

0:46:15.590 –> 0:46:18.100

Smith, Jimmy
But I think we better wrap up.

0:46:18.110 –> 0:46:20.180

Smith, Jimmy
Let me give you the last word, Hannah.

0:46:20.190 –> 0:46:26.390

Smith, Jimmy
Any parting comments, advice, testimony before we conclude?

0:46:27.500 –> 0:46:27.990

Smith, Jimmy
Umm.

0:46:28.30 –> 0:46:33.680

Smith, Jimmy
She umm, just you can you can think up our our topic.

0:46:33.690 –> 0:46:54.480

Smith, Jimmy
You know, being that the transfer home your your final week or weeks in the mission and your first few weeks home any any, any advice for missionaries who will be going through this soon and what what what can you you know briefly tell them to to you know, wrap this up in conclude this.

0:46:54.490 –> 0:46:55.550

Smith, Jimmy
Any any thoughts?

0:46:56.0 –> 0:46:57.440

Smith, Jimmy
I I just had a thought.

0:46:57.450 –> 0:47:11.320

Smith, Jimmy
From what I I was reading in my scription yesterday, cause I’ve been like like I said, I’ve been trying to keep up with my like Scripture study every day because I found that was such like an empowering tool in my mission.

0:47:11.330 –> 0:47:14.270

Smith, Jimmy
Like gotta keep it going after.

0:47:14.280 –> 0:47:23.260

Smith, Jimmy
So I’ve been really trying to do that and I found in my study yesterday I don’t think this doesn’t like I’m it’s gonna make sense.

0:47:23.430 –> 0:47:30.340

Smith, Jimmy
Umm, I was studying about like forgiveness and like repentance and stuff like that.

0:47:30.590 –> 0:47:37.40

Smith, Jimmy
And I read something that said that forgiveness is an act of faith and.

0:47:39.190 –> 0:47:45.900

Smith, Jimmy
What I’m thinking right now is like not only is like forgiveness and act of faith, but like.

0:47:48.250 –> 0:47:53.140

Smith, Jimmy
Everything that we do can be inactive faith in the Lord.

0:47:53.210 –> 0:48:5.740

Smith, Jimmy
I remember at the beginning of my mission and the MTC I kind of had this, like, little epiphany in my brain where I was like, whoa, me, like, just being here and like, trust, like just being here and, like, trying to be a missionary.

0:48:5.750 –> 0:48:7.740

Smith, Jimmy
That is like me waking up every day.

0:48:7.750 –> 0:48:18.270

Smith, Jimmy
That’s an act of faith like I have faith that, like God, is going to help me today and like me, just waking up, that’s like, activate me going to eat breakfast.

0:48:18.600 –> 0:48:23.210

Smith, Jimmy
That’s an act of faith because, like, I have faith that like that food will fuel me for the rest of the day.

0:48:23.220 –> 0:48:24.170

Smith, Jimmy
And the Lord will help me.

0:48:24.380 –> 0:48:39.50

Smith, Jimmy
And so I think, umm, maybe something we think about a lot is like going on a mission and takes a lot of faith, takes a lot of faith to leave your family and your home and and your friends and your studies.

0:48:39.820 –> 0:48:49.430

Smith, Jimmy
But then I think I’m just this involved and just random right now coming up, but I think like coming home takes a lot of faith too.

0:48:49.440 –> 0:49:1.870

Smith, Jimmy
It takes faith to to, like, leave, not leave those things behind, because obviously, like those things of the mission, like you keep them in your heart and they’re with you and you apply the things you learn.

0:49:2.640 –> 0:49:5.230

Smith, Jimmy
Umm, but still leaving.

0:49:5.240 –> 0:49:12.70

Smith, Jimmy
It takes a lot of of faith and I think I think we all can give ourselves a little bit more credit.

0:49:14.120 –> 0:49:25.120

Smith, Jimmy
Of the the amount of faith that we have and it because it takes, it takes faith and it takes courage to to make transitions and to do hard things.

0:49:25.130 –> 0:49:25.760

Smith, Jimmy
And so I think.

0:49:28.270 –> 0:49:34.500

Smith, Jimmy
That when you coming home you just have to keep having faith and keep focusing on Jesus Christ.

0:49:34.510 –> 0:49:42.520

Smith, Jimmy
Keep Jesus Christ the center of your studies and your life and your prayers, and just try and include him in everything.

0:49:42.530 –> 0:49:47.440

Smith, Jimmy
Cuz I’m I feel like that has been a helpful tool for me.

0:49:47.670 –> 0:49:49.60

Smith, Jimmy
Yesterday it was just funny.

0:49:49.70 –> 0:49:54.880

Smith, Jimmy
We were at church and our Bishop gave a talk and I felt like he the whole talk.

0:49:54.890 –> 0:50:0.330

Smith, Jimmy
He just only talked about Jesus and maybe he talked about other things and that was just the only thing that called my attention.

0:50:0.340 –> 0:50:1.60

Smith, Jimmy
But I was just.

0:50:1.430 –> 0:50:2.300

Smith, Jimmy
I was so impressed.

0:50:2.310 –> 0:50:3.220

Smith, Jimmy
I was like, wow.

0:50:3.230 –> 0:50:8.830

Smith, Jimmy
Like you can just like focus on Jesus Christ and it just makes you feel like so much better.

0:50:9.120 –> 0:50:15.850

Smith, Jimmy
Like obviously, everything in the gospel is like beautiful and good, but Jesus Christ, being our like Savior and Redeemer and our friend.

0:50:15.900 –> 0:50:19.560

Smith, Jimmy
Like, that’s powerful and that, like is what can fill your heart.

0:50:19.710 –> 0:50:32.510

Smith, Jimmy
And we sing a him right after that was, I stand all amazed and just made me like feel so full of love for the savior and really like feel kind of this.

0:50:32.520 –> 0:50:41.320

Smith, Jimmy
Just like peace and, like comfort that I hadn’t felt for a while, just like sitting there thinking about Jesus Christ and I.

0:50:41.550 –> 0:50:57.510

Smith, Jimmy
I’m just trying so hard to have faith in him, but I know that he has faith in me and then his faith in all of us, and that’s why he he died and suffered for us because he has faith that we all will be able to do it, and otherwise he wouldn’t wouldn’t have done what you’ve done.

0:50:57.620 –> 0:50:59.460

Smith, Jimmy
See you speak and helping us.

0:51:0.670 –> 0:51:1.450

Smith, Jimmy
Well, thank you, Hannah.

0:51:1.460 –> 0:51:2.520

Smith, Jimmy
It’s a beautiful testimony.

0:51:2.530 –> 0:51:3.240

Smith, Jimmy
Thank you.

0:51:3.310 –> 0:51:10.130

Smith, Jimmy
Thank you for joining me for this podcast video and thank you for serving a awesome mission.

0:51:10.140 –> 0:51:11.170

Smith, Jimmy
And thank everyone.

0:51:11.320 –> 0:51:14.950

Smith, Jimmy
Thank you all for watching and listening and we will see you next time.

0:51:14.960 –> 0:51:15.540
Smith, Jimmy
Bye bye.

The post The Transfer Home – Interview with Hannah Smith – Podcast Episode 19 appeared first on Latter-day Saint Mission Prep.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Latter-day Saint Mission PrepBy Jimmy Smith

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

2 ratings