Elder Flores and I are going to play Santa Claus!

I loved that poem that you gave me so much! This week has been soooo amazing, but especially today. You guys seem so happy and amazing and I am so grateful for each and every one of you. Of course I miss the snow, and being with the family, the lights, and the music. But I am so happy right now. During this past week, I have really counted my blessings that I can be on my mission during this holiday and Christmas season. Let me tell you, yes it is hard, but I am so close to Christ and I am so grateful to be doing His work, for right now is my time to serve him and to bring others to Him. As your poem said that I am knocking doors, this past week, I have never knocked as many doors in my life. We contact so much everyday and really, I know we have the spirit with us because a lot of people are letting us in.

Sonia got baptized this past week as you can see by the fotos. While we were preparing the baptism, the water came out soooo dirty because the water ran out in Jaen so we had to use the left over water that there was and so it was like I baptized her in the river. But it was so amazing! After her baptism she stood up and bore her testimony. She thanked us and Heavenly Father. She also promised to Him and all the members that she will ALWAYS be in the church and she wants to serve a mission. She started crying and the spirit was amazing. I am so happy to be able to see lives changed while on my mission.

This past weekend there was a ward party and there was a dance, and since us as missionaries can't dance, well, I danced with all the kids! It was a lot of fun haha we made a train and ran around and I swung them around.

Well today was so amazing...President came to our zone to spend Christmas with us. I got your pink box btw, I plan on opening it Christmas morning! We played soccer for like 30 minutes and then we had each district do a little talent. Our district made a song and during the song, I pulled out my Evan Fast moves and started to rap (but in Spanish!) I will show you guys the rap on Wednesday though! Then we watched an amazing movie! It is called Ephraim's Rescue. You guys all need to see it. It is like an add on to 17 miracles but not really. It is about Ephraim and how he gave amazing blessings. I almost caught myself crying like 3 times in that movie haha but don't worry I didn't cry. Then we all went to lunch together. So tomorrow in the morning I am going to a members house to kill their rooster! They are letting me kill it haha and I am kind of nervous. The family here is like my 2nd family. We call them mom and dad. I am excited. Then we will eat dinner with them tomorrow as well as our pencionista.

But alright everyone, pay attention to this. Tomorrow, Elder Flores and I are going to be Santa Clauses. That helmet of Santa Claus that you see in the above picture is just a part of the costume. But we are going to a town called Niño sin techo, which means kid without roof. Because there they are sooo poor. We are going as Santa and we are going to give the kids little presents so thank you so much for all the money you have given me. I will be able to buy them all a little gift. As well we are going to the members house to sing. So tomorrow will be soooo fun!!!!! 

But I can't wait to talk to you all on Wednesday. Remember I will call around 5:30, Utah time so be ready. I love you all. He loves you.

May you all have an amazing Christmas. Se que cristo vive y que esta es la iglesia de El. Estoy muy agradecido por su vida y por este tiempo muy especial que tenemos a recordar de su nacimiento y su vida. Se que siempre tenemos que recordar de El, y si lo hacemos, vamos a poder recibir muchas bendiciones y que vamos a poder sentir de su amor. Estoy muy agradecido y muy bendicido por ustedes. Gracias por todas de las oraciones que me dan. Realmente le siento a Dios cada dia, y si fuera por esta iglesia, y si esta iglesia no fuera verdadera, yo no estaria aqui. Pero es verdadera. Gracias por todo. Que les pase una navidad muy bonita.

Elder Smith

People recognize the blessings we have and take for granted sometimes from so far away.

Hey everyone!  I can't believe that next week we will be able to see each others faces through Skype. I told Jordan to make me a Skype account and just give me the details next week so that everything is all ready to go. And also if he can make us as friends. I plan on calling her around 7 30 or so...so like 5 30 your time I am not quite sure. For Christmas the president will come next Monday to have PDay with us so that will be fun and he will most likely bring all of the packages that he has for us. I only got one. But it was great, I used the popsicle sticks in a lesson with recent converts this past week. They just loved it. We put it all together and I had them tell me what they saw and felt. We also were able to sing some Christmas songs with them. Tuesday for the 24th we plan on doing something cool as a district like making something or going around singing for people. Then most likely we will eat a lot because every member is inviting us to eat. But we are excited. Then for Christmas we will call! A weird tradition they do her is burn giant dolls in the middle of the street. haha we heard it is now illegal but they still do it. But we shall see. kind of scary right haha You guys seem like you are all doing so amazing. I really hope that you can feel the light of Christ in your lives during this time of year. Allison congrats on your dance tournament and your grades. Jordan and Emily, good luck on finals.  Well this past week was legit. We went to an investigators house named Sonia. She is 16 and her aunt Gleny got baptized on the 30th, the girl I baptized in the dark. Well we went over to her house to teach her. But before we planned a legit lesson, while we were planning we felt we should ask her to be baptized. Well when we went we asked her and she told us yes! She wants to get baptized tomorrow for her birthday and she asked me to baptize her. Everything is all ready to go, we got permission, she passed her baptismal interview. So we are so excited for her. About a week ago she came to the Christmas devotional with us and she loved it. She said President Monson is so cute and she felt the spirit so strong. On the bad note, we passed by Friday the 13th this past week....worst day...ever. We only had 2 lessons the whole entire day. We had like 8 set lessons but no one was home! Also, a member was going to come out with us and help us but he bailed. I also stepped in dog poop and didn't realize until we were in a lesson during the prayer. Elder Flores and I looked at each other and almost died laughing. It stunk soooo bad. Worst day ever haha.            Something cool that I heard yesterday in church during ward counsel was that they were talking about their numbers and how many came to church, they said that they wanted to be like a ward in Utah. How blessed we are to have a magnificent ward. And that people recognize the blessings we have and take for granted sometimes from so far away. I am learning so much as I have been senior companion. We are having a baptism tomorrow and we had like 16 lessons with a member present this past week. We contact every day and I have really learned to like contacting even though it is a little tricky. Elder Flores and I are really tuned in with the spirit and so I think the people notice that and let us in. I am trying so hard to work hard for the Lord as you are right, this time is a very special time to serve him, as it will be a different memory. I have read the bible a lot lately and it just surprises me how some religions don't understand it. It teaches us the correct baptism and everything so I have been using it a lot lately. I have grown to love personal and companionship study. This past week I have really noticed that right now, the mission is just something I do. I have learned to love it and I feel I am giving it my all, as well as having fun. Well we went to Gocta today and it was so fun so I hope you enjoy the pics. I am doing so well and I can't wait to talk to you all my first Christmas in the mission next week. If there is anything I can do to help you all let me know. I love you. He loves you.

Elder Smith       

I am loving the work I am doing

Hey everyone

What a week it has been. I am kind of jealous that you guys are probably going to have a white Christmas. It is so weird to be in the heat. But I guess I am getting used to it.

Tuesday night all of the missionaries arrived. In the zone we got 12  new missionaries and so it was kind of nuts. My companion is from El Salvador and his name is Elder Flores. He only has like 4 months in the mission and so I am senior companion. It is kind of different leading everything but I am enjoying it. So now I feel like the numbers are really on my back. I am working so hard, and I have really found myself a lot happier as I have worked hard.   Elder Flores and I get along very well and work even harder. Our numbers this past week were really good. Last week at church we only had 1 investigator attend church. So this past week we really got focused in inviting them to church. We had 8 investigators attend. As well as our ward, they gave us 11 families to re activate and a lot of them showed up. I am also starting to contact more. When I got to Peru I always hated to contact and we didn't really do it because in Arizona we aren't allowed to knock doors because it doesn't work. So when I came here, I came in with the mindset to not knock doors. Well this past week we have contacted a ton. I have really noticed something though. Elder Flores and I are entering in about 80 percent of the homes we contact. We have also found many more people to contact so it is really cool. Whenever we are going to an appointment, we knock doors. And we are going to the members so that they can help us. I have really changed who I am thus far on my mission and my testimony is as strong as ever. The Lord really has been blessing me in Spanish, he has helped me to teach with the spirit and listen and understand the investigators. My companion and I get along very well and he is really cool. I would just ask to pray for me because I am leading the area and it is kind of rough. I would say that I am about fluent in Spanish, but I have some days that are hard, it is weird. But I really am talking a whole bunch more since everyone in our ward knows me. I am loving the work I am doing. I feel like I can go far in my mission if I can keep working like I am doing.

Ruth was able to be baptized on Saturday. This past Wednesday we went over to her house to ask her about her baptism and she told us that she still didn't feel quite ready. At the end of the lesson we invited her to pray to Heavenly Father and ask him when and if you should be baptized. So Thursday night we went over to her house and asked her if she prayed. She told us yes and that Heavenly Father answered her prayers. She told us she knew the church was true from the beginning she was just scared and a little shy. Friday night we went and got permission from her dad. He said that it is her decision. Also Saturday night her dad came to her baptism and it was really special because afterward Ruth bore her testimony and it was so strong. She is going to be so strong in the church. I was able to baptize her.

Something that I really love about Peru is the kids. While on my mission I have counted my blessings that Heavenly Father blessed me with a bunch of little cousins growing up. I just get along so well with the little kids. Oh...Mom I found the little girls that got baptized in Jaen yesterday at the Christmas devotional and I was able to give her a ctr ring and she loved it and gave me a big hug. I just love being around them. Also yesterday we had like 20 minutes of free time so we went to the park to play with the kids, mainly members and recent converts were all there. And we swung, went down the slide and everything.

I am also so grateful for the priesthood. It is so essential to this church. I can't imagine having a church without the priesthood. I have really used the priesthood this past week. I dedicated a house and gave 3 blessings. I could really use a blessing though right now as I start being a leader. So thanks for reminding me.

I am really loving my mission. I miss Elder Rich a lot and it is weird that he is home and not here with my 24/7 haha but how crazy that he saw all of you guys. I am glad you got all your presents. I hope you like them. I got one of your packages this past week. I just opened the big envelope but didn't open the presents from Jordan, Allison, and Emily. But I love the glow sticks. I told Elder Flores this morning that we are going to use them in lessons this coming week. If it is night, I am going to ask the investigator to turn the lights off. I am going to break the bracelet a little bit at a time, so we see how it increases until the bar is fully light up. I am going to use that like a testimony, how it takes a little time for our testimonies to be very strong. Because almost every one of our investigators feel like they should be baptized, but they feel like they should have stronger testimonies. So we shall see how that works.

Well I love you all. He loves you. Talk to you in 2 and a half weeks

Elder Smith

Goodbye Elder Rich and Surprise Baptism!

 Man I have missed American food this past week! I would just love some pie! But you guys seemed like you had so much fun for Thanksgiving week!

I don't have much time to write this week because the computer shut down in the middle of my emails. But This week was pretty crazy. I sent my package home with Elder Rich this past week and he might call you this week but I am not sure. He left Saturday in the afternoon. So he wasn't able to attend the baptism. It was weird and hard saying goodbye to him. We had so much fun and I really learned a lot. At least he only lives 20 minutes away from us in Utah. 

Well on Wednesday we went to an investigators house and her name is Gleny. She is 19. About a month ago we started to teach her. I remember after the first lesson we had with her, Elder Rich and I walked out of the house and we just said how hard she is because she didn't accept anything we taught her and had so many doubts and questions. Thankfully with time, many lessons, many questions answered, and she always attended church. She expressed to us that she wanted to be baptized. So we saidm "How about this saturday?" Haha and she said yes! At her baptism, about 15 minutes before it started, the power went out, in all of Jaen! We took out the flashlights and did it! I changed in the dark and I baptized her in the dark with flashlights! It was so awesome! She has already told us that she wants to serve a mission and she is super strong. I am really excited to see how strong she is going to serve in the church.

Also on Thursday we went to a members house to say goodbye for Elder Rich and she gave us guinea pig! Yes I ate my first guinea pig! It wasn't too bad, it was really rubbery actually but not that bad. I have pictures that I will send you next week. The only bad thing was that Elder Rich made me eat the cheek muscle, the ear, the brain, and the eye! I felt like I was on the show "Bizarre Foods!" The eye and brain were so nasty! When I bit the eye,  juice came out! It was a weird experience.

Also we taught the investigator named Ruth and she plans on getting baptized this Saturday. Please pray that we will be able to get permission from her Dad because she is 14 years old. She is probably the strongest investigator I have ever taught because she marks up the Book of Mormon, knows so much, goes to church and all activities.

I haven't received my new companion but I will tomorrow night. I am still in the same area. Right now I am with Elder Harper from California and he only has 4 months. It has been fun to kind of lead in Spanish.

Oh and I also gave out 4 CTR rings to Leydi, Mirella, Maria, and a little 6 year old named Adriana. The other 3 are the converts. They just loved them Mom so thank you so much for sending me some.

For Thanksgiving, our pencionista bought a huge rotisserie chicken and a ton of fries! It wasn't that good but I was so grateful since they don't celebrate it here and she went out of her way to buy us something. When we were eating dinner,  I told them about our tradition and how we go around the table and we say things that we are grateful for and we all did it! So just a little love and shout out to the fam!  

Don't worry about me. I am so happy for the baptisms that I have had and that are to come. I just about understand everything in Spanish. I feel the Lord with me every day. It has been a good week and I am excited for my new companion. I don't know who it is yet though.

I love you all. He loves you.

Elder Smith