First off thank you Mom for that
wonderful email. Geez make me cry why don't you? Haha no but seriously I love
you so much and I'm so thankful for your guidance and example. I have been so
blessed to have you and Dad as my parents and thank you for sharing that with
us. I really hope that we all can follow her advice and be that much more
loving and supportive.
But you are right. We are so blessed
to live where we live and to have the family that we have. To be honest I have
always thought what you have thought. . . Why did I get so blessed? Why did Heavenly
Father send me to Utah to live with the most perfect family for me? Now it's
clear, just like you said, because He knew that I wouldn't take advantage of
the blessings. Honestly before my mission, I took way too many things for
granted it's not even funny. But I'm excited to get back and be more grateful
for things such as carpet, air conditioning, grass, clear air, a car, just sooo
many things.
Anyways time to get down to the sad
news..... Elder Manley has a change and he leaves tomorrow. We are both quite
sad about it. Never have I been this sad about a change before but I'm really
going to miss him. Last night we stayed awake until 1 in the morning because we
couldn't sleep because just the thought of not having him around sucks! It
sounds girly, I know I know, but we have become the best of friends. It'll be exciting to hear how is doing once I
am home and we will for sure see each other again. We have had 3 changes
together and the time went by sooo dang fast. We are mainly sad because it
won't be the same when we are in the house of our pencionista because we always
play with the 9, 6, and 5 year old that live there. I'm pretty sure I'm going
to cry when it's my turn to say goodbye to them. But anyway, we are
trying to stay positive and I know that Elder Manley will do amazing things in
his mission
Also....I'm going to train again!!!!
Every time someone trains, they have a ¨kid¨. So it will be my 3rd son on the
mission. I'm excited about it and I'm happy that the Lord trusts in me to be
able to do it again. I'm not sure if it's going to be a latino or a gringo but
I hope it's a latino so that I can get my Spanish up again. Plus I know that
since I'm training again, it will help me to keep working hard until my time is
up.
Today is the first day of my last
change and its definitely bitter sweet. But I'm excited for the new experiences
that are about to come. I know that I still have things to do and just like you
said Mom, I don't want to sit back and say that I did my part because I still
have to work!
Thank you for those scriptures. I
have really been feeling a lot better about everything. I continued to read in
Alma. And I think it's in Alma 17 where Alma and Amulek suffer a lot of
afflictions but the Lord comforts them. I know that the Lord is proud of what I'm
doing. I'm excited to keep working hard until the end. Thanks for your support.
I have really tried to keep finding people to teach. Now that I'm training
again, I'll be able to keep working hard and I know that I will leave the area
well off. I just need to keep on being diligent and obedient
Gilberto's ex-wife plans on coming
to Peru probably in March. So I'm happy that things are moving along with him.
He is reading in the Book of Mormon and he is so far into it. He understands
everything. At the end of the lesson this past week we asked him if he needed
anything and he said that he just needs to get baptized! His daughter Lorena is
now doing her Personal Progress and she is also very far into it. It makes me
happy.
Also good news! Do you remember
Annie from my last area? The little girl that got baptized by her older brother,
Gerardo? Well I called Elder Chavez the other day and he said that their Dad is
now going to get baptized in February! I'm so stoked! Gerardo is now on a
mission in Arequipa Peru and we are writing each other weekly. But it makes me
happy that they will be an eternal family soon!
Even though Elder Manley has to
leave, there are still good news (: We just got to look at the good in all
things. Like even though it's hot here and very dusty, I'm learning so much and
at least we haven't gotten robbed yet haha!
I'm also getting impatient about the
Travel Plans. I went to the office the other week and I asked them about it but
they said that the guy that works for the church travel dept.hasn't bought them
yet. The mission office doesn't buy the tickets. I guess that it's someone else
in the states or something that buys them. But I know, I'm getting annoyed by
that.
This past week I had the 2nd to last interview with President Williams and he told me some great things. He first thanked me for helping out the mission so much and for working hard where I'm at. He gave me great counsel; he told me that once I get back I have to know that my life is about me and Heavenly Father. Throughout my life I've kind of based my life off of my friends and examples and I've listened to them more. But I need to focus on what Heavenly Father wants me to do. That will help me in my studies and also to choose an eternal companion. I also need to pay attention to the spirit and follow what He wants me to do so that I may have a successful life in the gospel. But I don't need to worry about that right now.
I'm ready to work!
I love you all. He loves you
Elder Smith
Ps. My memory card got a virus. So
no photos. Sorry
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