New Area, New Responsibilities, New Challenges!

Hey Everyone! Man what a week, honestly, it was one of the slowest, hardest, and most humbling weeks that I have had I think thus far on my mission. The good thing is that I have learned so much and I am really counting on the Lord on this change.

 SAYING GOODBYE TO MY BELOVED FRIENDS IN JAEN.

Well, here is my new assignment... Zone-Chiclayo Central.   

Area-Jose Olaya.   Assignment-District Leader and Trainer.

My companion- is from Reno Nevada and he has been out 3 months on his mission, so really I should be training him. But right after the transfer meeting, we got together in the car and he told me that he has to go home and fix some things. He has had some problems with his bank and he needs to get some medication because he is a little depressed and he has a little bit of anger problems. So right now I am pretty stressed because I have had 1 week to get to know the area and I don't even know where a lot of investigators live and he is leaving tomorrow or Wednesday. The other thing is, is that yesterday during church I talked with the bishop so that he could assign a member to be a mini missionary and to be with me during these 5 more weeks in the change. So a member will be with me and his name is Willy. He is about 24 years old and he is about to get his mission call. He seems pretty cool. But it will be hard because I am going to have to teach him about everything about the mission. So please pray for us, so that everything will go smoothly.

My new area...rough...there hasn't been a baptism here for 5 months and there are really no investigators with a baptismal dates and it seems that it is going to be hard to get them baptized because they aren't quite golden investigators, but that is why we are here as missionaries, to help them to become converted to the church.

The ward is really cool though. The leaders are really focused on what they have to do. The bishop told me yesterday that he really knows that the Lord called me to be here and that it is my time to change things around. The people here in Chiclayo, well for the 1 week I have here, they are a lot harder. I have noticed that a lot more investigators try to trick us with things or ask us these weird questions, but still we are able to answer them well using the scriptures and the spirit. But I love the members here.

The climate...a little bit cooler in the night time, and just a tiny bit cooler during the day. It is still pretty hot though. Also, there is sand and dirt everywhere!!! It is kind of rough on my eyes because randomly there is a big wind and you see all this dirt coming right at you and you have to duck your head and turn away. However, the area that I am in is a pretty dang nice area; I haven't seen so many nice buildings in a very long time!

Here are some pics of my new place!

My pencionista is awesome and soooo nice. Her name is Hermana Susanna and she is about 65 and she has a son on the mission who comes home in June. But she cooks really well and I ate tacos for the first time in Peru and she gives us pizza and whatever we want (:

Anyways, I want you guys to know that I feel calm about this new assignment that the Lord has given me. I really feel prepared for this area. Jaen and all my companions there helped me and I feel that the Lord helped me learn so many things there so that I can use them here. I have learned to be a bold and powerful missionary to be able to testify strongly and answer the questions with boldness. I have learned a lot of Spanish to be able to understand the investigators almost perfectly. I have learned how to interact with people so that I can gain their trust. That is what helped me a lot this past week. I feel that I have become close with some investigators and a lot of members. I feel confident enough just to be myself around everyone.

As District Leader, it is another responsibility that I am going to have to complete, but I am happy that the Lord trusts me to do this calling. There is a companionship of Sisters in the District and the Zone leaders as well. It will be a great experience though, to be able to teach them in the District Meetings, all the leadership meetings I will have to attend, the reports I will have to do. Also, I am going to have to do the Baptismal interviews for their investigators. So please pray for that as well because I have never interviewed people before, especially people that want to get baptized!

There is an investigator that is named Angel. He is 15 years old and he has been coming to church and listening to the missionaries for about 6 months. We taught him this past week and tried to set a baptismal date for this saturday, but he told us that he was scared that if he gets baptized, he will fall later on and he will be sad because he failed. But that is what half of the people say here, if not more! But I always explain to them that it will be WAY LESS harder to fall because we receive the Holy Ghost who helps us on the way. Of course we are going to commit sins after baptisms, but that is where the repentance process comes in and we can just keep on going and holding firm to the rod. Anyways after explaining this all to him, he felt more comfortable about baptism, but he said that his parents aren't going to let him. The good news is that in Jaen I dealt with a lot of parents like that so we just need to talk with them. But I am not quite sure about this week. I hope soon though.

In Jaen, Manuel and Maritza got married and baptized and so I was soooo happy to hear that and to see how much work that we all put in so that could happen (:

You guys are so amazing and thank you for the contact solution, well...and everything you guys do. I am so thankful for our family. It is so perfect for me and you guys help me so much. Thank you for uplifting me. I promise I won't let Satan put the word failure in my head. And yes Mom, we will go to many temple trips together. I miss the temple so much. As I have been here, I have heard from so many members that they only get to go once a year, if that because they have to save up money. We are so blessed, you are right.

That is awesome about Austin Thorpe and his mission call to Peru. Tell him to get prepared to eat a ton of rice.

I love you all. He loves you.

Elder Smith