Got a little dirty and cut up, spider bite, haka, and set 2 bapstism dates - all in a week's work!

Today we went to the beach as a zone and it was a lot of fun. We played a lot of little games and we ran around in the sand. Then we went to the pencionista of Pimentel and she made us chicken and potatoes. But the chicken was a little raw and so I hope I don't get too sick hahaha. 

I am so happy that your summer is going amazing and that you guys are doing the family history work. That is something that I want to get into to be honest when I get home and have more time to be able to see everything. I am so happy that you have temple work to do and I know that as a family we will be able to receive many blessings (: 

Well I have something to say that will make dad proud haha. So we have zone meetings every Tuesday after district meetings and we have decided to show a talent after each zone meeting and this week it was our turn to do it. My companion sang and I did not want to sing in front of everyone......so.....I DID THE HAKA!!!! Really I probably murdered it because I couldn't really remember the words so I just threw in some words at the parts I didn't really know but everyone was laughing so hard and they were like terrified at the same time! It was hilarious and a lot of fun. Now everyone wants me to keep doing it over and over again haha.

Also a funny story. This past Thursday night we were running late for an appointment and we really needed to hurry because we had a meeting with the mission president and the stake president and so we started to run to the appointment. I had this folder in my hand and to be funny I pretended that it was a gun and started to pretend to shoot my companion. I was a little turned to the side, looking at him, and running very fast...when...boom!! My foot tripped over a rock and I went falling down....hard!!! Hahaha I got dirt all over in my hair, on my shirt, pants and bag!!! It was pretty hilarious, even though it hurt! The worst thing was that I had a meeting with the presidents that night! I went a little dirty and cut up but we all just had a good laugh hahaha (:

Also another bad thing that happened to me, was that Friday morning I woke up with a huge spider bite on the right side of my bottom lip and it hurt so bad and it hurt to eat and talk but it's about gone now (: hahaha oh the mission.....

We are gonna have two baptisms for the 2nd of August! With a girl named Annie who is 11 years old. Her brother was less active but we were able to re activate him. Also with a boy named Daniel who is 13. The cool thing is that they are cousins and so they will be able to get baptized together (:

Dad, thanks for your thoughts about unselfishness being the key to all happy relationships. That is something I need to work on with my companions. It always helps just to be humble and serve them. Something I have learned is to love them no matter who they are. My comp and I get in some arguments here and there but I am really learning to be more humble with him and I try to help him. We really are working really hard and we try to be examples for the zone and we try to help them as much as possible. 

Dad!!! Happy Birthday!!!! I really wish that you have had an incredible day. You really deserve it. You have always been my number 1 hero and I look up to you a lot and I hope to be like you one day. Honestly. I have learned so much from you throughout my years and while I've been on my mission. I thank you for always providing for me and being by my side supporting me in everything. In sports, school, work, my life, and my mission. I really would love to call you so I could keep thanking you, but my time is short. Thank you for being an amazing example for our family and for always loving us no matter what. Heavenly Father will bless you. I love you Dad.

That is all. I love you! He loves you

Elder Smith

The gospel is true. I can feel it, I can see it, and I live it.

What a fantastic week to be honest.

 Man, Ryder has seriously grown so much! I am completely shocked! A pork salad from cafe rio sounds pretty good to me right now since we can't eat pork here. You are all lucky you got to eat that! I don't know if I ever told you but as missionaries we can't eat strawberries, pork, the water obviously, lettuce, and this raw fish dish that they have hear that is called ceviche. It's fish cooked in lime juice. 

That is sooo legit that Jordan was able to get that position as a coach. I bet he will soon work his way up to head coach, that would be really cool. He is really one of my role models in life and I am excited to see the Lord continuing to help him in his life!

What a fun summer that you guys are having! I'm pretty sure that it's hotter in Utah than it is over here because it's getting pretty cold, or I just forgot what cold is haha. I can't believe that BYU football is already starting again...I miss it sooo much. I'm kinda sick of playing and hearing about soccer, it's quite boring. I'm not that good at playing sports with my feet haha. I'm more hand-eye coordinated.

I wrote you guys just last Wednesday in the morning and a lot of amazing things happened since then. I can't even tell you the blessings that we have received here in our area. Wednesday in the afternoon we finally found the parents of Alexis to talk about him getting baptized since he is only 17 years old. At first we were kind of scared and nervous because his dad is kind of strict and intimidating. But we offered a prayer for guidance so that we could reach to his heart and explain about baptism and that it is a huge blessing for all of us to have. We talked to him all about the church and about a true baptism. We really taught with authority and I really felt that we were instruments in the hands of the Lord. At the end of the lesson, his dad really opened his heart to us and he gave permission so that Alexis could get baptized!!!!!!! He also wants us to come and teach him and his family. (:The family of Alexis came to his baptism and it was really amazing to see them there and they all gave him a big hug and we could see that they were really proud of them. I was happy that they supported him. I hope that we will be able to start working even more with them.

Right after that, we picked up Jenny to go to her baptism and she was seriously so happy. An Elder named Elder Noriega baptized her. He is the elder that I replaced because he got called to be an assistant and he found Jenny along with Elder Santos. It was really cool to have all of us there at her baptism to support her. Yesterday I had the opportunity to confirm her a member and give her the Holy Ghost. I have seriously learned so much and I have had so many spiritual experiences.

The family of Alexis came to his baptism on Saturday and it was really amazing to see them there and they all gave him a big hug and we could see that they were really proud of them. I was happy that they supported him. I hope that we will be able to start working even more with them.

I think that I forgot to mention that his best friend named Kevin baptized Alexis. It was pretty neat!

This past week as I went to the temple, I put the names of Alexis and Jenny in the temple. And Elder Chavez and I also fasted so that they could get baptized, and sure enough they both got baptized (: This area is so amazing and my companion and I get along great and we always teach and help each other. I have learned a lot from him.

We just got back from watching Ephraim's Rescue as a zone. Our zone is doing really well and Elder Chavez and I work really well as a companionship, we always try to focus on them and how we can help them. Even though we don't have as much time as we did as normal missionaries, we are still striving to work. The Lord has really helped us. I shared with the zone this past week that sometimes things don't go our way, and that we will meet people that will give up on the gospel, that will say that I don't want to listen anymore, but if we do our part as missionaries, the Lord will help us to meet other people. That is what happened to us with Flor. I thought she would get baptized for sure and suddenly she said that she wanted to go back to the catholic church. I was quite sad after that lesson, but I didn't let that get into my head and we kept working and suddenly, we had 2 baptisms. It was so amazing. My testimony of this gospel has grown so much. This past week I have contacted a lot of people that try to destroy my faith and that have said terrible things of Joseph Smith. But if they would just listen, not only to us, but the spirit more than anything, if they would only read the Book of Mormon, they would know it's true. I always say everyday, this gospel is true. It really is.

I am so thankful for our family. We always support each other in anything and we love each other, and we give counsel to each other because we understand each other. I feel that I have really grown up on my mission and my perspective of life has totally changed. I miss you all. The gospel is true. I can feel it, I can see it, and I live it. I love you, He loves you.

Elder Smith

P.S. Just a funny little note from my new mission president that made me feel good: "Great work, and keep it up. Many eyes are on you and your comp. you are a good man, and leader, you speak well, and know stuff! Thanks. President Wiliams

Changing lives through reactivation, not just baptisms.

Hello my good ole family (:

I am so happy to hear that you guys had an amazing 4th of July! I missed the fireworks and all the food. That is crazy what happened to Jordan and that he got injured! He always gets hurt when we play stuff. But next year it's going down! Even though I am way out of shape! A week ago for PDay I played basketball with some of the Elders here and we all about died because we are so out of shape and we were breathing so hard! 

Congrats to Cannon for being baptized. I really wish I could have been there, that would have been awesome. That is crazy that he is already 8 years old and that Ryder is already 5 years old. Where did the time go! I'm gonna be shocked to see everyone when I get back because everyone is growing up!

Well, I'm back from Lima! I got back at 9:30 at night yesterday. It was a lot of fun though. I left with 5 other missionaries from the mission. One of them was Elder Allgaier who is from Lehi.  The first night we shared a room in the Hotel and talked all about Lehi, haha it was cool. Elder Winward also came with us and it was cool to see how he was doing. But yeah anyway I got almost everything done in Lima for my visa. We had to wait in lines for hours and fill out some paperwork but we got just about everything finished. We just need to go back in a few weeks to pick up something and that will be my last time going. Do you know what is crazy though? That was my 10th flight on the mission! Haha it's crazy. I didn't get sick though (: I loved the trip though, we ate papa john's twice and McDonalds once haha. The highlight of the trip though was we went to the temple and did the session!!!!!!!! My first time entering the temple here in Lima. It really was sooo amazing. The temple was pretty small, actually, really small but really pretty! After about a year since going to the temple, it was such a great experience and a wonderful blessing. The only bummer was that I couldn't take pictures because I left my camera in the hotel that day. But some other missionaries will forward the pics they took to my email and I'll forward  them to you guys.

This past week was freaking amazing. Tuesday we had the meeting with the new president and all the zone leaders. Pres. Williams is really funny and also so spiritual. He is gonna change something huge I think for us as a mission. Right now, only the assistants, the people from the office, and the zone leaders have cell phones, but we are gonna all have cell phones I think pretty soon! It was such a great meeting besides that too. 

Sorry I have so much to write and so I'll try to be brief with some stories that happened this past week.

This area is soo amazing and Elder Chavez and I have already seen lives changed without baptizing! I say this because we are teaching a family who is really less active. The dad hasn't gone for about 2 years for work, the mom went to another church for about a year, and the daughter just doesn't go because her parents don't, she is 19 yrs old. The son of the parents died about 2 years ago when he was 21 so it was really hard on them. Elder Chavez and I have been working hard with them. A week and a half ago, the daughter came with us to church and she talked with the bishop and was so happy.  Then last week, we visited them as a family about every day, and every time we did that, we kneeled and prayed with them. This past Sunday, they all came to church! And the mom and daughter gave their testimonies and now the daughter is going to activities and everything! They really are so happy!

Also!!!!! We are going to have a baptism today!!!!!!!!! Jenny is gonna get baptized!!!! She is 24 years old with 2 little girls of the ages of 3 and 6. She has been listening to the missionaries for about 3 months now.  She has been catholic all of her life and we had to help her to understand a lot of things. She had a cool answer to her prayer though.  A while ago we invited her to pray to see if the Book of Mormon is true and she did. The next day as she was walking to work, she found a key chain on the ground and looked at it, and it was a key chain of the Book of Mormon and she has always had that key chain in her hand in every lesson that we have had. She is really excited to get baptized because she told me that she wants to be a new person and have the Holy Ghost to help her get baptized!

Today we are going to talk with the dad of Alexis to get permission so that he can get baptized this Saturday. I am really praying hard for help so that he can do it. He is so strong in the gospel already.

Cool Story: Chiclayo is starting to get pretty cold at night. When we were walking we saw a 19 year old homeless boy. He came up to us and asked us if he could come to our house and spend the night. Unfortunately we can't do that as missionaries, but after talking to him about the gospel and giving him counsel, we told him to stay there and wait for us so that we could run home and get clothes for him. We had some extra clothes such as a sweater, sweats, a beanie, and also a blanket. Then we came back to him and give it all to him. We felt really happy to help someone like that in need. We haven't seen him since, but we pray that he is okay.

This past week was amazing and I've seen the Lord help us a lot. I love you. He loves you.

Elder Smith

12 years ago today. . .

 

12 years ago today these three sweet boys got baptized on the same day. They grew up with about 15 other wonderful boys all the same age.

For the next 10 years they participated in cub scouts, young men's activities, Scout camps, High Adventures, and so much more as they received and advanced in the Priesthood and grew into wonderful young men.  These three boys are now all missionaries! 

Davis Crabb is serving in England. Mark Lindsay is serving in Taiwain. And of course Jake is serving in Peru.....along with 22 other young men and women from our ward who are serving and sacrificing in areas throughout the entire world!

What a blessing it has been to be a part of their lives and see them grow together.

Lehi 26th Ward Missionaries Rock!!