Little One by Elder Smith and Elder Manley

Note by Elder Smith's Mom: Allison recorded this precious moment from our Christmas Skype call! Elders Smith and Manley sang the song they performed for their mission president and mission zones during their Christmas party. It's something we'll treasure forever!

A few pictures of Christmas Eve Festivities

 Christmas Eve Dinner

Going around caroling to our investigators 

Singing in the Plaza of Chiclayo with 3 zones from our mission!
 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas from Peru! - My Last One!!!

Que tal? Que hay? Que pasa? Como Estamos? (:

Well....to answer the question of changes........WE DONT HAVE A CHANGE (: We are sooo happy about that. Yesterday we were freaking out! You have no idea. It is kind of crazy to think that Elder Manley and I will have been together for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. We get along great and we work hard. I only have 2 changes left now. So I'm excited to see just how much I can push myself as I end my mission. I really want to strive. 

Right now I'm kind of anxious to have a baptism...It's been kind of long. But we have hopes for this change especially. Angeles and Noeli plan on moving out this month so that they can get baptized. One of the days when we taught them, I could see that they were just not all that into the lesson that we were teaching and I could see that something was wrong. I stopped and asked what was going on, or if they had something to say and they told us that they are just losing their patience because they really want to get baptized already and they have been thinking that Heavenly Father hasn't been helping them that much. But on the other hand they haven't been going to church much and they rarely read the scriptures that we give to them so they can't really expect the help of God if they don't do their part. So we were able to read Mosiah 2:41 where it talks about if we keep the commandments, we are blessed in all things, temporal and spiritual. So I think that helped quite a bit.

Giberto is going to talk to his ex-wife that lives in Spain this week. So please be praying for that. We really need to get this process started. They are soooo strong. Lorena is now going to the activities of the young women and yesterday in church she was hugging all the young women. So they are making a lot of friends in church and they have gone to church for like 3 months straight! We are happy for them and it's amazing to see how the Spirit has worked them into who they are today. They understand everything, they read everything, and they always pray and go to church. It's pretty much as if they were members.

We have been able to find more Less Active families to teach. We are teaching a lady named Cynthia and her family. She has been a pencionista for the other Elders in our area. But they moved and changed their pencion. Also Cynthia thanked us this past week for not forgetting about her and for helping her. Yesterday they attended church and they are an amazing family.

We hope to rescue Rosa this next week. We just need to finish the lessons and she will be already to go. She is 21 and she wants to serve a mission soon. Her family isn't members and they leave in Piura. But she asked us to help her prepare a lesson that she could teach to her family about Christmas for when she goes back. It's been nice to help these less active members come back to church.

This past week we also had our Mission Christmas Activity. At 10am we went over to the mission home to practice a song that Elder Manley was going to sing for the Activity. The apartment is dang nice and I was living it up! Elder Manley and Sister Williams dragged me into singing with Elder Manley as well so I did. I'm not a fan of singing in front of others. But we did alright. We plan on singing the song to you guys on Christmas. Its dang good!! So here are some pictures of our mission president's apartment and us practicing.

Then at the activity we presented sketches, ate banana splits, watched a little video of Christ's birth, sang songs, etc. It was fun to see Elder Quiroz, Elder Winward, and other Elders from my group. All of us were saying how weird it is to only have 2 changes. It feels like it'll go by fast. 

Anyway this is dang long. Sorry. I'm excited to talk to you all next week. It seems like it has been a long time since we have talked. 

I love you. He loves you.

Elder Smith
PS. I got your Christmas Package Mom!!! Thank you to all family members who took their time to write me a letter! I love all the pictures from the Kids. Hahaha especially Charlie who drew me a picture of Toast, a diving board, and other silly things. Seems like everyone is growing up. Can't wait to see you all!!!

  What could these be?? Paper Presents!!!??? Ah (: I'm excited! My favorite!!

El 26 de Lehi Ward beats all!

"Paneton" A famous fruitcake here that's actually not too bad.

 

We don't have a knife, so I'm using my machete.
 

Wow you guys sure did have a spiritual week and that makes me so happy. I think that we can all say that we have been impacted from all the bishoprics that we have had in the past. They are all men who are really called of God. Lehi 26th Ward beats all. (: Even though the name of the ward doesn't really do it justice. Here in Peru they always ask me what the name is of my ward. I always have to say "El 26 de Lehi" and they are always like, " Que!?" Haha I just have to explain that there are many wards in Lehi.

Wow Allison, how about you embarrass both me and Jordan and graduate before both of us? Haha just kidding. Congratulations. I hope that you will be able to help me with my math and assignments because I have forgotten quite a bit!!! But that will be fun to have us all in the same college. Just like the good ole days. Carpools anyone?

 

Yesterday we were actually able to go to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional because it was broadcast to the world. I couldn't really hear though because we sat in the back and everyone was talking in the back rows. But I can definitely say that when the choir sang, ¨Oh come let us adore Him¨ I could really feel the spirit and Elder Manley and I turned to each other and we said how nice it was to actually hear Christmas music. Here in Peru there aren't any lights on the houses. But some people have trees and little Nativity Sets. Oh by the way, I bought a little Nativity Set for you Mom. But it's not that big. Just a little one. But yeah that song was amazing!!! I love Christmas.

I got Jordan's and Emily's package that they sent out to me and thank you sooooooooo very much for the football!!!! Elder Manley and I throw it around in our little room and we are trying to wake up even earlier to go outside and throw it around. The little kids in the street run up to us and they want to throw it around. I threw it to a kid and when he saw it coming at him, he jumped out of the way because he thought it was going to hurt him. So it's fun to teach the kids in the street how to play real football and run around with them with the football. Also thank you so much Sarah and Jessie and kids, Pam and Dan and kids, and Bryan, and Jordan for all the kind letters. You guys really made my day. Everyone seems all grown up now and it'll be fun to see all of you again!!!

Not much happened this past week. We have been able to find new Less Active members to teach so that they can get rescued. We plan on rescuing a 20 year old girl named Rosa. She is studying here in Chiclayo and she has been coming to church for about a month straight. We just need to finish the lessons. We are also teaching a 22 year old man named Saul. He hasn't come to church for about 5 months because of his studies. He was baptized last year and we look forward to helping him.

We were able to read Mosiah 24 with Angeles and Noeli. That seemed to help them a lot because it talks about Alma and the people escaping from the Lamanites and Amulon. We applied that to their situation and that they need to have patience. In the verses of 12 and 13 it explains how they poured their hearts to God because they couldn't pray out loud and that God heard them and told them to be patient. So we are hoping to find them a new home soon. But they have to stay for the month of December because they already paid rent. But we will keep praying for them.

Man this past week the power went out quite a bit and we don't even know why. But it was annoying because there was absolutely no light so we had to cut the nights short since it gets like 15 times more dangerous. The people seem to rob more when there is no light. But nothing happened to us. 

This is the last week of the change. Sunday we will find out if one of us has a change. We really are hoping that we don't though because we really want to have a baptism together and we want to spend Christmas together. On Thursday our zone is heading to the office to have a Christmas Party with President and Sister Williams and some other zones. We are dang excited.

I love you. He loves you.

Elder Smith

Remember not to fear men but God because we can't fool Him

An English lesson with my little pal Artenisa

Hello Everyone!!!!

I am so happy to hear that you all had a great Thanksgiving! Mom you killed me when you told me all of the things that you made!!! Oh my gosh like seriously...a pumpkin cheesecake, lemon pie, pecan pie, and famous rolls....I could kill for those right now...But I'm glad that all turned out so well!!! So that you can all be jealous...here is a picture of my Thanksgiving and what I ate...hahaha. But I'm grateful (:

So yeah about High School teaching. I'm not quite sure yet but I'm thinking about it a lot. Since I've been on the mission I have grown to love teaching and I have been blessed to be a leader in this mission and so I have learned quite a bit. Also I would love the High School environment. Plus I could teach Spanish and I love history. So we shall see. Yeah it's kind of funny that it would be the same as Jordan. But yet again, I'm not too sure yet. I'm not worried about it right now though. I'll have to look into it more and pray and fast. But so far that's what I am thinking most. Plus they make just as much as a police officer with better hours and it's a lot safer!!

So this past week we were able to rescue the Aguilar family and so now they are active in the church. I'm not sure if I've ever explained the whole rescuing process to you guys. But as missionaries we have been asked to not only baptize, but retain the recent converts, and rescue the less actives. In our mission, to rescue, is just as important to baptize because we are helping all of them to return to their Father in Heaven. But to rescue, they need to attend church 3 times at least, receive the missionary lessons, and receive an interview from the bishop. Daniel Reyes was also able to be rescued this past week. So we had 4 rescues. We were so happy to see all that work with them get paid off and they seem so much happier.

Giberto is pretty much already a member though. He has attended church every week without fail for like 2 and a half months and he accepts everything that we teach. His testimony is sooo strong and he is praying so hard for his divorce to go through so he can be re married to his current wife and be baptized. He is very humble when it comes to the gospel and he loves learning and asking questions. He always reads the Book of Mormon and so we know that Heavenly Father will help him in this process towards his baptism.

Also this past week we were able to meet a recently married couple who has a little girl. A member ran up to us in the street and told us that she wanted us to go and give a blessing to a man that got in a car accident and broke his leg. So we were able to go over and give the man a blessing. But first we explained to him about blessings and we read in Mark where it talks about anointing with oil and how Jesus Christ healed the sick according to their faith. So we are excited to start teaching them. It was a really spiritual experience and we are praying that they will accept us when we go back.

We found Elayne before church yesterday and she has been really busy with college because she has her finals right now. Her semester ends in 2 weeks and so we are planning to start teaching her seriously then. But for now we see her about twice a week. But she is still interested. So that is good.

I really enjoyed that conference talk by Elder Robbins. President Williams used that talk in the interviews that we had about a 2 months ago and it really impacted the whole mission I feel like because it's sometimes a big problem with disobedient missionaries. I really have been striving to remember that in everything I do and that I need to remember not to fear men but God because we can't fool Him. But what has really helped me to do that is to be a nice and loving person to everyone. Last week a 70 came in and talked in Stake Conference. He explained that many times as members we don't even talk with other people in church and sooo many times there are people that need a person to talk to. He invited us to sit down and ask people how they are doing. I have been striving to do that as well and it has helped me to be more loving toward men and God. Sometimes we just need to stop thinking of ourselves and sit down next to a person with our arms around them and show them our love and concern. That is what the gospel of Jesus Chris is all about!

It is getting a lot hotter here in Chiclayo and sometimes I want to run in snow. It doesn't even feel that it's already December!!!! I swear we are still in August. Plus the heat here is just gross and I don't know why I don't get as dark as I do in Utah. But anyway, we don't need to put on a jacket at night anymore so it's nice.

Don't worry about sending me glasses or money for them because I'm fine. My eyes are getting better. Here and there they get a little red but I bought really strong eye drops that help me out a whole bunch. So don't worry about that. We can just get some when I get home!

 I love you. He loves you

Elder Smith