Well my results of the migraine haven't
come back and I don't really expect them until 2 more weeks or so. But honestly
it doesn't really matter because I feel 100 percent better. But as for Jordan
and Dad I feel terrible! Elder Rich and I are going to be fasting this Saturday
and so I will fast for the both of them. I am glad that Jordan has a wife this
year of school to take care of him. As for dad I am sorry because it really is
annoying when none of the doctors know what is going on... just hang in there Smith
boys!
Congrats to Evan and Kallee on their
baby! He looks like a freaking stud and I am so excited for them. It is crazy
that Evan is a dad! Just yesterday he was living with us and I was kicking his
butt in ping pong haha jk (;
Man you guys did what I have been
dreaming of doing. I really want to drive up the canyon to see all the leaves
and just an awesome mountain. That is one thing that I will definitely do when I
get back. But I will have to wait until the fall! Yeah I thought it was Noah's
birthday and Ian's as well. I hope they have a blast in California!
Well, the first week in my new area
(Morro Solar). Really, I love it! The members are so legit! They just treat us
so well and they are sooo fun to be around. Haha on Wednesday, we went to the
bishops house to talk to him about the baptisms that we were going to have and
his wife made us pancakes! yes! pancakes! haha and then that night, for dinner,
our pencionista made us more pancakes! It was so legit! Also tonight for FHE we
are going to a members house to make more pretzels. As you can see, we already
made pretzels, but that was just a test for today. Haha I told Elder Rich that I
was craving pretzels and so we are going to make some! The member downloaded a
recipe and we are all ready to go! 
Speaking of the baptisms. We had 2
this past Saturday with 2 girls who are the best of friends who are 9 and 10
years old. Maria is the big one and Mirella is the little one. They actually
have a very strong testimony for how little they are. I didn't really get the
chance to teach them much, only like 3 times but they are awesome. This
Saturday, we are going to have a baptism with a 9 year old boy whose name is Paul.
His older brother who is 12 got baptized recently but they don't live together.
Paul lives with his nonmember mom and his brother lives in Chiclayo with his
dad. But we are excited for them.
On Saturday we went to a place
called Fila Alta because it is a little town in our area but it takes like 10
minutes in a moto taxi to get there. There are only like 2 member families
there so we wanted to go contacting. But we made a game because we wanted to
have fun while contacting. So we brought 10 pamphlets of the restoration, 8
fotos, and 3 little cards for babies. The game was, whoever handed out all of
them first, won, and the loser had to buy the other one a drink and a little
snack and I won (: haha it was a good way to entertain us.
But really I am having a blast out
here in Morro Solar with Elder Rich. The area is just so much more calm and the
members are awesome. We hope to have 2 more baptisms this month and our goal
for November is 4 baptisms. Because we have some strong investigators and we
look forward to see what happens.
I have been so blessed so far in my mission with the success
I am having. I feel a little overwhelmed at times with Spanish. But really I
have learned that it is more important that I just help as many people as I can
and if I lose myself in them, Spanish will come. Speaking of Spanish, Elder
Rich and I only talk in Spanish since Elder Rich mainly converted himself to Spanish
and so that is helping me a lot! Elder Rich is seriously such a stud. He is
helping me out in so many different ways. Also, the ward that we have is really
fun and we are enjoying ourselves.
Mom, I love you with all my heart. I don't have much more
time left but I just wanted to say thank you for your little paragraph at the
end of your email that you sent me. Thank you for raising me on the right path.
Every time I see a family with a mom just working so hard just to put a few
pieces of bread and rice on the table, I think of you. Really you are so
amazing and I am so happy to be apart of our family. I have been thinking a lot
about you and you are doing a perfect job as a mother. I know for a fact, I can
feel it, that Heavenly Father is sooooo happy with you. He has grand blessings
for you in the kingdom of heaven. I promise you that you will be blessed
eternally. I am not just saying that.. I am saying it because I feel it. Mom
you are the best. I love you so much. I really hope that you are loving your
job at the school and that you are happy. But also know that I am doing
well! I am doing amazing. I love you mom
Dad, You are exactly
right about the iron rod. That is crazy that they talked about that because I
have been studying the iron rod all of this week and have used it in lessons.
Really if we just hold fast to the rod, (assist church, read the scriptures,
pray, fast, pay tithing, do everything the lord asks of us to do, we will be
able to reach eternal life, or the love of god that we need in this life).
Really the great and spacious building is real, but we can overcome the
temptation if we just have both eyes on the fruit. There are things that tempt
us every day, but with this gospel, this perfect amazing gospel. EVERYTHING is
possible.
I love being a missionary and
all is well with me. I love you dad
Well until next week!
I love you all. He loves you
Elder Smith
Note
from Mom: Elder Smith is so blessed to have an amazing example in his Dad. I
just wanted to share a short thought that he wrote to Elder Smith in his last
email. It's a good thing for all of us to ask of ourselves and ponder: "Yesterday, during priesthood, while we
were talking about missionary work, the topic was directed toward Lehi’s vision
of the tree of life. I had this questions pop into my mind, “What is your great
a spacious building?”, meaning, what makes me turn away from the iron
rod? What makes me want to mock the righteous and turn away from the
gospel? What makes me embarrassed about the church and gospel? What
do I need to work on?
Everyone has their faults, no matter how righteous
they are. Everyone has their own “great and spacious building”. We
all have something that we need to work on, something that draws us away from
the “iron rod”. By identifying what it is and working on it, we can
become stronger. We can become a better tool in the hands of the Lord to
do His work.
Well son, I hope all is well. I pray daily for
your health and for your physical strength, for your spiritual strength and for
your success in the work. I hope you can feel the power of the many prayers
that your loved ones say for you. You are a mighty sword in the hands of
God, sharpened by your trials and forged through life to withstand the forces
of evil. A weapon against the adversary, to find those who are on the
Lord’s side, who are willing to fight the good fight and make a better life for
them and for their family. Search them out and you will find them.
Your best work is all that the Lord requires of you, and I have no doubt that
you are doing your very best, as you always do. The Lord is happy with
all you have accomplished. He knows your weaknesses and He knows your
strengths. Don’t get down on yourself. Your best is all you can
do. Your best is good enough. Keep up the good work. Love Dad."
No comments:
Post a Comment