Conversated? Is that a word? - I can't speak English anymore!

The lovely dusty streets of my new area

 My new companion, Elder Manly from South Carolina

 Living here is like what I picture it's like to live in the desert in Iraq

Elder Manly and I playing soccer at the church during P-day

Hello Folks! I miss you guys!!

So yes I did get transferred! I am in the zone of Dorado. My area is Artesanos 2. It isn't too far away from my last area. Only like 20 minutes away so we took a taxi. The ward here is great and a lot bigger. President Williams is putting 2 to 3 companionships in the strong wards because he wants to strengthen them even more. In this ward, about 160 members attend each week. And my other areas where I have been at were around 90 members. However, in this area there are around 500 members that are less active and so we are really wanting to help change that.

I am sorry to scare you guys haha but yes, this area is dangerous. We split the whole area with 2 other elders and we have the most dangerous part I guess and we live on a dangerous street. There are a lot of men in the streets at night drinking and smoking illegal drugs. So during the day, we are just trying to make friends with everyone so that they don't rob us.  We have talked with almost everyone on the street and so I don't think anything will happen to us. But I am happy to be here. I didn't really want to go here to end my mission because no one really wants to go to Dorado for all the dust and how dangerous it is. But it will make me even more happy to get home and be in a place so nice and safe haha. 

Man! This area is the dustiest area that I have had! It is insane! It's like we are in the desert in Iraq or something because it's windy and there are only like 2 concrete roads and the other roads are complete dirt. But the people here are amazing.

Funny story about my companion! Tuesday morning Elder Chavez and I went to the airport to help pick up the new missionaries with their bags and everything. Anyway there was this one Elder who is from South Carolina and right when he saw my last name he asked me, "Hey! Do you know Dagen Oviatt!?" I was like, "Yeah!" Then he told me that Dagen had served in his ward back home for like 6 months and Dagen told him to look out for me! So I was able to meet him! But the funny part is that he is my companion!!!! He is sooo tight and his name is Elder Manley! Sick last name right? We get along suuuuuper well and it is sooo fun to be training him! Small world though huh?! He makes fun of me though because I keep speaking stupid English. Sometimes I try to make words up in English that we don't really use. Like occupied or conversated.  It's hard for me sometimes to speak it. Right now we mainly just study and plan in English. I am helping him with the phrases, the slang, and the words though. The good thing is that he is a really happy person and so all the people love us. We get along great! He is a way good missionary even though he doesn't speak the language yet. I remember being in his shoes sooo perfectly. But I am trying to help him out as much as possible

We are opening this area up and we have no idea where to go really. The other part of the area has Elder Brunis from Ecuador and he just barely got out of the mission office since he worked there for like 7 months.  He was in my zone before though so I know him really well and he is training an American named Elder Prestwich from Colorado and he loves to play golf. So we are soo stoked to be in the same area. We don't live together though. Elder Manley and I live in a small room and there isn't even a door to the bathroom yet and so we just don't look around the corner when the other one is showering haha. But no, we make the best of it. But as I said, we are opening the other side of the area and we had to start from scratch!!! We contacted soooooo many people since there are no investigators. But we have met some good people. We met this 20 year old girl named Katy who told us that she attended church in Jaen a long time ago and wanted to get baptized but moved down here. So we are trying to help her. Please pray for us that we may able to keep contacting and finding people to teach because we are knocking doors like crazy. But now we have the ward directory and so we will start visiting the members and hopefully get some referrals.

You guys sound like you are doing amazing though. I am sorry if some of my writing doesn't make any sense. I can't wait to be there in Utah again. But I am really striving to work hard until the very last day. I would like to end my mission with Elder Manley. But I don't think we will get to be together for 4 changes.

I have learned so much on my mission and it's fun to pass all the tips to my hijo. In the mission, when someone starts training, the greenie is called the hijo and I am his padre. I love being where I am at and we meet amazing people every day.

I love you. He loves you.

Elder Smith