A blessing from an Apostle!

Family (:

Gosh, it is sooo great to hear from you! You all seem so busy because of the wedding but all of the hard work will pay off! I got the wedding tie and it is sooooo sick!!!! I can’t wait to wear it on the 30th! I am so excited for all of you! That is insane about Ty's luggage. I hope that he gets it soon - haha - that is such a bummer! That's weird that my car is gone but I bet Brian really needs it and I hope everything works out for the best for both Brian and Lauren... Oh, Mom!!!!! I am so so so happy about your new job at the school! You are the perfect woman to get that job and I know that you will excel in it because you try your best at everything you do! When you said that it was your first missionary blessing it really made me so happy and put a smile on my face!!!

I am so excited that Adam Scott won the masters, and that Tiger’s caddy switched to him! haha poor Tiger...NOT!!! I am so happy Scott won it! I wish I could have seen it though, your Dear Elder made it sound crazy, and I bet it was so exciting to watch! I hope the Jazz win tonight just to see how far they can get in the playoffs! I just yelled out that Kobe is out for the season and everyone in the email room started clapping – haha - it was funny. Oh, guess what I did at gym time! I tied the MTC record of the most 3's in a row! I shot 17 in a row and I hope to beat it soon! It was so awesome and I was stoked!

This past week has been a crazy rollercoaster for me! Last Thursday they split up our trio, so they made Elder Quiroz and me companions. We work really hard together and our teacher says that we teach the best lessons (in Spanish). The teacher also said that we are probably the best companionship. I do miss being with Elder Winward though because I feel that we should be companions since we were supposed to be at first, but I am happy to know that we are working hard. Also, I was made District Leader! I really love being a leader here, I get to go to extra meetings every Sunday and Tuesday and learn even more! I pick up the mail for everyone, which is probably the best part of being district leader because the missionary’s faces all light up to see that they have received mail, it's cool to see!

It’s so amazing reading the scriptures in the MTC! It feels like I get so much more out of them as a missionary! Tuesday I received an answer to my prayer! But first, on Sunday was choir practice for the Tuesday devotional and I had a feeling that I needed to go sing, even though I didn’t want to. We sung “Nearer My God to Thee” and it was very special. Then my answer came from an Apostle, Elder Richard G. Scott!!!! He came and spoke to us at the devotional and it was the most Spiritual meeting that I have ever been to!!! The Spirit hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt at peace! His talk was about prayer. He said how important it is to pray, even when we don’t feel like it. At the end of his talk, he said had he received a prompting to give us an apostolic blessing. He blessed us that we will be able to learn the language, and that the Lord will bend his tasks to our abilities! This is exactly what I needed to hear! It was amazing to receive that blessing from an Apostle! It gave me such peace and was the answer to my prayer! After his talk, he sat back down and we sung the closing hymn. Then he got back up to remind us that we have been Called of God, and God doesn’t send missionaries out without help! It was such a neat experience and such a blessing to hear this man of God! His testimony is amazing! He said that he knows that God lives because he “knows” Him! How crazy! I love this gospel so much and I'm happy we will be able to live together forever. (:

 

So two sisters in my district received their visas on Monday, they will be leaving tomorrow morning to the Peru MTC. It’s weird because I may not see them again as they are going to the Arequipa mission. An Elder from my zone got his too. They are starting to come! Elder Quiroz and I were jealous and kind of sad that we didn’t receive ours too, but we know that everything is up to the Lord. I still hope I receive mine soon because it will give me that extra push I need right now. This past week of Spanish has been so hard on me. We are starting to learn all of the past tenses and conjugations and it sometimes gets overwhelming! I have been praying a lot that I will receive comfort and that I will always remember, the Lord will help me.  If I receive my visa  I will be able to call you for 5 minutes, so beware. (: I really hope I get it soon! I just hope and pray every day to Heavenly Father to please let me go to Peru soon, but we will see!

As for me, I don’t think that I need anything special, to be honest and I really haven’t thought about what I don't have here. You have been so nice with all of your packages and letters, just hearing from you is all I need. Thanks for praying for me, I will do the same for you.

 Other than that, this week has been pretty normal, going to class, studying hard, teaching in Spanish, and going to bed! Each day feels like a week and every week feels like it’s only a day! I can’t believe that it has been 3 weeks already and that I am halfway done with the MTC.  In three weeks, I will go out into the field! I hope Spanish makes more sense this next week, but if it doesn’t, I know that Lord will help me! I miss you all so very much and I pray for you all the time! Please, everyone, be happy, and go throughout your day with a smile because it will make your day that much better! I have learned here that the Lord really listens to our prayers and that he WANTS to hear us. Just pray to him, even when you don’t feel like praying! I am so thankful to be a missionary at this time; it is so amazing to be a part of the gospel 24/7. I hope you all have an incredible week and thanks to all who have written me.

 

Well Dad, I want to share one last thing with you before I go. This past week we each shared with our district who our role model is, and mine is you. You go throughout life with a smile and a laugh! You can fix anything and you have been through so much in your life.  You always make the best of it! Thanks for your example to me and thanks for all of the support you have always given me. I really needed it.  I love you so much dad. I hope your stomach gets a little better and I will pray for you.

(Mom) you have been on my mind so much, I love you so very much! You are a great example to me, do not worry about me. (: I love you, keep working hard at everything you do. Thanks for all of your support. Thanks for being the best Mom that I could ever ask for. Honestly.

I love you. He loves you.

Elder Smith