I have never done anything so rewarding in my whole life

I'm so happy to hear that you guys went to the Temple together and were able to do sealings for our ancestors. That is something that I'm looking forward to doing because I bet the spirit feels just that much sweeter when you actually do it for your family members. 

This week is the last week of the change and its crazy how fast this past change has gone. It seems like just last week that Elder Manley and I were praying that we wouldn't have a change just yet and now we are already back at it again. My guess is that Elder Manley gets changed and I stay here for my last change in the mission. Its freaking insane to be able to say that. I feel that I should only have 14 months or so but I'm on that final stretch. I have many goals that I want to do before I get home that will help me keep wanting to work hard. So please pray that I may give it my all in the last change that I have being a servant of the Lord. I have never done anything so rewarding in my whole life. This whole experience hasn't been fun and it probably hasn't been the funnest thing that I've done in my life. But all of it has been worth it, all of the ups and downs. I have learned so much and I know that spiritually, I have been incredibly blessed.

So this past week has been hard for me. Cynthia didn't come to church with her family since it was her daughter's birthday. But they plan on coming to church next week so that they can be rescued. But during these past couple of weeks I have been wondering why there hasn't been much success here in my area. It seems that we have been working hard and we are trying to do what's right, but nothing is going through. Giberto still hasn't gotten a hold of his ex wife. Angels and Noeli can't move out of their house, Elayne moved, and there are just so many people that we teach, but they don't progress. So we find ourselves contacting a lot and there aren't that many people that want to listen.

So Thursday morning I was studying and before I started with a prayer as always asking Heavenly Father to help me feel strengthened. Then I continued reading the Book of Mormon in Alma. As I read a few chapters, I arrived to Alma 8 where it talks about Alma and his mission experience. It talks about when he went to Melek and he was able to baptize many people throughout the land. Then after he taught and baptized there, he left to the city of Ammonihah which was the northern part and as he got there he was rejected. He was even spit upon and casted out many times. It says that Alma was weighed down with sorrow and it that very moment an angel came to him to comfort him and to tell him to rejoice. Verse 15 has the answer that I received.  "Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you."

I know that it's been hard. But I will try to continue to be diligent and obedient so that I may receive blessings.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

I love you. He loves you

Elder Smith