Happy Birthday to Grandma and Emily this coming weekend!

Well I am happy that you guys are all doing very well and what an exciting week that you have a head of you! Happy Birthday to Grandma and Emily this coming weekend and go Broncos for the Super Bowl.

Well Bryan...we couldn't find him this past week. We went to his house at the beginning of the week and his grandma told us that he went to Piura and would come back Friday. So Friday came and we went to see if he was there and then the grandma told us that he might have moved to his moms house in Arequipa. So we are going to see what really happened this coming week hopefully. Which is a bummer but he really wanted to get baptized.

With the boy Jimmi, we are looking forward to put a baptismal date with him tomorrow for the 8th of February! So we hope that he will get baptized this month of February. But a couple of cool things happened this past week. We have an area named Fila Alta and it is about 10 minutes away on a moto. There is a family. Their son is on a mission in Honduras, he left while I was here, there other 21 year old son is a member. Well the parents aren't members and the mom really wants to get baptized but she isn't married...We have been working for about 5 months with them so that they can get married and baptized but the father doesn't really want to get married. Well around 3 days ago, we told our bishop to head up there so that he could talk to them. Then the next day we went over and the mom told us that her husband put a marriage date for the 28th of February! They are planning on getting married and baptized this month! The sad thing is that the 28th of February is like 3 days after the change so I might not be here to see it. But I am so excited to hear about it and continue to work with them so that they can complete this goal.

Also we found an investigator there whose family is a member. His name is Santiago and is 50 years old. He has a really weird sickness where he can't move his hands or feet and he is very week. Like literally is hands just dangle there and he lays in bed all day. We gave him a blessing last week and this past week we have been teaching him. He is so awesome because he reads and prays and knows everything. He wants to attend church, but it would require me and Elder Flores carrying him in a moto taxi and carrying him up the stairs to Ssacrament meeting. We are willing to do it, it is just that he had some family members that visited him this past Sunday so he couldn't attend.

During this upcoming month and February is when everyone has a huge water balloon fight, every day! It is mainly just girls against boys and sometimes a random girl or boy is walking down the street and BLAM! Out of nowhere comes a water balloon. They have attacked us like 4 times right now haha it is sure fun.

 I love you. He loves you!

Elder Smith

I almost got robbed for the first time!

Mom, Mom, Mom. I don't really know how it feels like, but yeah it is kind of weird that soon we will be all out of the house! But as your kids, we are all thankful for having you guys as our parents who guided us into the gospel and always helped us along the way. How crazy that soon Allison will be going to UVU and that she may even be on the dance team. Good luck on that! Time really does fly! We are all grown up, but you should be proud of yourself on how you did as our Mom while we were in our youth! I have had the opportunity to teach and be with many families on my mission and I just always think of our own family and how great it really is!

 

Anyway this week was a relief for me. In the beginning of the week, we were kind of worried because we don't have too many investigators so we prayed a lot this past week so that could change and that we could find more people to receive this message, whether it be through knocking doors or referrals from members. Wednesday we got some amazing referrals from a member and they attended church yesterday. One is named Jimmy and he is 14 years old, the only bad thing is that his parents work Sundays but at least he came to church. We then received another referral from a member who is 14 and is named Karen. She is cool and interested but such a typical teenager and her mom wants her to change before she gets baptized so we plan on working hard with her.

Oh also yesterday in church, an investigator who is only 9 years old named Helen came to church but the cool part is that she lives like a mile and a half away from the church and usually comes with her aunt, but her aunt moved to Lima. I was quite inspired when I asked her who she came with and she told me that she walked on her own to church! I really want her to get baptized but her parents aren't really supporting her with that. But we will see.

Elder Flores and I taught an amazing lesson yesterday at church to the members on how to give a good referral to us because a lot of them give a name of a person and expect us to go without them but we taught that we need to work together and that they should come with us to teach the lessons and they should pick them up to go to church and at the end of the lesson we gave them books of Mormon and said that they had to give it to a friend this week and that they need to tell us when we can go and teach them if they are interested. The class was way cool and we hope to have even more referrals this week.

Daniel got baptized this last week. He really loves when we go and teach him and he always comes running to us asking us when we are going to come and teach him. All the recent converts that we have had in Morro Solar are very strong and every week attend church and participate, so it has been amazing to be here and see all of that.

We are also hoping on having a baptism this Saturday with a boy named Bryan who is 12 years old. About 3 weeks ago we were in a lesson with Leydi and Mari (recent convert) and he came in and listened and we invited him to come to church and since then he has come to church on his own! We just need permission by his grandma because he lives with her so we plan on doing that tomorrow!

But right now all is going very well. The language has come really well for me these past few months and a lot of people say I am getting a latino accent :) Also the zone leaders are telling us we teach the most during the week and that President Risso is very pleased with the work that we are doing!

Today was an awesome PDay! We played soccer in a huge grass field and it rained the whole time. We also played capture the flag and then went to a sweet Chinese restaurant. The only bad news is that I freaking forgot my camera. But I am kind of happy I did because on the way here to the internet cafe, I almost got robbed...my first time almost getting robbed! We were walking in the street and I had my backpack on, and Elder Flores was on my right side by the side walk, but behind me came a motorcycle with 3 guys on the back. I couldn't really see them but they drove up way close to me and the guy on the back grabbed my backpack strap but I held on to it because I didn't want to let it go. They started to drive fast trying to get away with me running trying to get him off of me, but before it got to fast, I hit the guy on his arm, hard enough that he let go...it was pretty intense and made me a little furious haha but I am glad I got away safe and the guys took off. 

Anyways, I love you all. He loves you

Elder Smith

Heavenly Father uses us to answer other peoples prayers and be their blessings

This week was really such a blessing for me. I felt that I have learned so much and that Heavenly Father has helped me and blessed me sooo much. On Tuesday, we did splits, our district leader came to our area and went out teaching with Elder Flores.  I went to another area with the Elder from California. So after lunch we were walking back to his house and a member from his ward stopped us saying that she had a friend who had a stroke and was in the Hospital. So we went to give him a blessing. This is the same Hospital where they drew blood from me when I was very sick in September but I never entered in the Emergency Room. Inside we found her friend who had just had a strode.  By the way, we are so blessed to have hospitals like we do back home in the States because here there were like 8 deathly sick people crammed in 1 room, screaming, crying, puking, and drooling all over the place. It was very gross but quite humbling. Anyways we gave him a blessing and then in that same room I saw a member from our ward here in Morrow Solar who is about 60 years old with his wife! The guy was sooo sick and he told me that he was praying so hard so that someone could come and give him a blessing.  He had only been there 3 hours and no one from our ward knew about his situation yet. It was really amazing for me to see how Heavenly Father uses us to answer other peoples prayers. We were able to give him a blessing and now he is recovering a bit better in Chiclayo, receiving more treatment. But I was so grateful for that experience and it really helped me such much with my testimony of prayer and blessings.

  Then Paul got baptized this past week! It was honestly such a miracle though. Since I have been here in Morro Solar, we have always put a goal with Paul to be baptized but in never happened. At the beginning of this week Paul said he didn't feel prepared and wanted to wait until May to be baptized at 9 years old. We got kind of bummed out, we left that lesson a little sad but when we got back to our room, Elder Flores and I offered a prayer on our knees asking Him to help us with this young boy. Then we felt that he wanted to get baptized, it is just his mom that always says he will have to attend church for the rest of his life so it kind of scared him and she is always a little hard on him. But we went back and told him that maybe he should talk with another missionary and have a conversation with him to really see if he should get baptized. Before the interview with the other Elder, Elder Flores and I had a lesson with him in one of the classrooms of the church and we explained how big of a blessing it is to be baptized and we explained more in depth of the Holy Ghost. Then after we asked him if we could kneel and say a prayer. Paul did the prayer and in that prayer he said, Heavenly Father, if you want me to get baptized, I will do it. Then he had the conversation with the Elder, and after he came out saying that he wanted to get baptized! So right away we went to his house, the mom was still hard on him, but Paul just kept saying, Mom! God will help me attend church and keep the commandments then she kind of shut up haha. Then we got her signature and he was baptized! So amazing. 

After his baptism on Saturday we made our own pizza as a District in a members house and that was so much fun but tasted nothing like your homemade pizza mom! I miss that pizza haha.

Friday was Elder Flores Birthday and so we ate fried chicken with French fries in the pensionista's house. Then they smashed eggs on his head out of no where!  And then on me! Because we all thought I was gonna have a transfer change but nope., I think this will be my last change here. But it is cool because I love my area, the members, I get along with my companion and I love Jaen. So I am excited to be here, I just kind of wanted to experience a little bit of Chiclayo, but there will be plenty of time for that. Plus we are gonna have a baptism this week with a kid named Daniel who is 9 years old so we are stoked to have another baptism!!

Anyways I love you all. I am really loving my mission right now. It is kind of weird that I am almost at 10 months. But I hope that you all know that I love you and He loves you

Elder Smith

 Getting a little punishment from our pencionista (the lady that cooks for us), ha ha!

 

I love the Lord, our Heavenly Father, and this work with all my heart!

Hey Family

It rained a lot today!

First off, congrats to Ella and Lynlee for getting baptized this past week. It makes me so happy that our family is sooo strong in the church and I hope it was a great baptism!

The party was pretty lame for the stake...we showed up around 8:30 and no one came until like 9:45 and then we left around 10:30. We pretty much just listened to music, ate, and left. Haha then during the New Year countdown, I was asleep. I was just sooo tired and around 12:04, my companion woke me up and said "Happy New Year!" I looked out the window and saw about a million fireworks so that part was cool but nothing amazing happened because I flippin fell asleep!

This week has really been a blessing for me. I have been praying so hard that there would be a baptism soon. We were going to have one this past week but Dionicio started to work so we never found him. We found him once this past week though and put a date for him for the 25th of this month. Also this week on the 11th we have a baptism planned for Paul, the little boy whose brother recently got baptized. We are really happy for him, but a little nervous because his mom said that she would only sign the paper for him to be baptized if he assists every Sunday, and Paul was right there and so I think he got a little scared of that. But we are going to visit him everyday this week. We had soooo many lessons this past week, it was insane.  I came home and just fell on my bed every night. In total we had 28 lessons with the investigators and like 12 lessons with in active members and recent converts, so we worked like animals. We have 4 baptismal dates in total for this month so we are praying really hard that we will be able to accomplish our goal of 4.

This could be my last week here in Jaen. I am not sure. I will find out this Friday or Saturday. But next week, try to write me on Sunday because I might spend pday traveling.  So if I have transfers I am going to write you guys early on Monday morning. Anyway, I am kind of nervous if I will go. I really have enjoyed my time here in Jaen and I have been able to get to know many many people. Also Elder Flores is sooo legit and he is like a brother to me so it would be sad to leave but I am happy with the work that I have done here. My goal in every area is to leave it better than I found it, and I feel I completed that goal. 

The chicken I killed for Christmas Dinner!

Elder Flores and I doing another awesome Christmas Missionary Rap!

I hope you have a wonderful week of work and school! Finish this school year strong everybody. I miss all of you guys so much. I really count my blessings for all the things I have. We are so blessed that our we, as a  family, are all members of the church and that we can live in Utah.  I really do miss the life over there, but I love the mission so much and I love the Lord, our Heavenly Father, and this work with all my heart!

I love you. He loves you

Elder Smith