25 April 2006

So life has been the most wonderful thing ever. I have loved this week. My new companion is great. Elder Rodriguez is from Layton Utah. His parents from Venazuela. We get along really well which makes teaching super easy I guess you could say. He plays the Ukelele so I'm trying to learn that from him now. Here's the only pic I have so far of us.

Don't worry I got a hair cut today so it's no longer so long. 

So this week we've been sort of starting from scratch. We have a few people we are still teaching, but a lot of them have kinda disappeared. It's kinda funny. We've been finding a lot of less active members recently without even trying. We were talking with a member, Hno. Jorge, about one such and suddenly he was like wait does he have a kid about 6 years old? We said yes, he says oh! I know him Panchito!, I worked with him. now we've got a great help to start teaching him and his wife who is not a member. 

We went to eat with the Sandoval family the other day. They have very little time here in Agua Prieta. According to la hermana the whole family used to be really active when they lived in Casas Grandes, Chiwawa but now shes the only one that goes to church. we set an appointment to visit them and brought along Hno. Jorge. Members make all the difference. They just got along really well. We had a great lesson and then upon arriving at church Sunday everyone but the father was there at church! Hno. Jorge helped them out with a ride and has kept in close contact with the family. Hopefully well get the whole family back soon. 

Life is just amazing here. Honestly Agua Prieta has been the hardest city to come to love here but serving the people here just makes me love being here. I would be happy staying here till I finish. so if you're feeling down, go out and serve someone. It makes life so much better! I love you all and hope for you to have the most amazing week ever!

Love,

Elder Smith

18 April 2016

So I was really tempted to buy a guitar the other day but decided against it. Maybe I'll learn it well coming home but for now I'll keep to piano haha. If I add much more I'll never sleep. I love music so much. i really miss singing with people that can sing. We got to sing Nearer My God To Thee in Sacrament meeting yesterday. it was literally last second. We got up there and Elder tomatani and Garcia stood next to Elder Allen to whom I said to before starting, 'Stick strong to the melody." and then I made up a harmony on the spot and it turned out really nice actually. 

Elder Allen gave a great talk about acting in the moment. That oftentimes our favorite words are in a minute, tomorrow, later, etc. he told how his mom always left him a list of chores but he spent all day watching tv or what not until he got a call from his mom saying hey I'll be home in 10 and then he just sped up and did everything in 10 min. He explained how when the Second Coming comes, God isn't going to give us such a phone call for no man knows the hour. We need to be ready today., Now. He tied it nicely to missionary work. All in all it was a good day at church

We've had such a wonderful week. I loved this transfer. 

We got here 7 weeks ago and there was next to nothing of work here but we got started and had a horrible first week. We taught a total of 8 lessons. But we just kept going. We were really blessed and started finding great people and by the end of the second week we had 23 lessons and the same number of new people in teaching. From there things just went well. We've dropped many and found many and bit by bit the Lord is helping us refine this area down to bring as many people as possible to His fold. I'm really happy I'm staying. I also escape the heat for a few more weeks. It only gets to about 100 degrees here in the summer instead of 130+.

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So this week has been such a good week. I'm writing quick this week but I tried to send lots of pics to make up for it

I have a new companion, Elder Rodriguez. He's super cool. He has 5 months in the field. 

The teaching has been great. Life's been great. Sorry for lack of detail haha

The pics are of my start of a garden, hot dogs, a young men's activity, some people we are teaching, and the missionaries here.

love life, have the best week ever and remember to be awesome!!!

11 April 2016

What an absolutely wonderful week! Life has been just amazing. Regrettably we were only able to work half the week because I happened to be sick, nonetheless what we were able to do was very productive. Thursday we went looking for all the appointments that had fallen through while sick and I could really see the Lord's hand guiding us. We found people at the exact moment they were available and we were able to teach in that very moment. Friday was the same. things just went smooth. Saturday it got a bit rough because we found absolutely no one. I think we knocked a good 150 doors and nothing. But that was all fine because on the way home a guy called us over in the street and we were able to talk to him for a good 45 min. I think he just really needed someone to listen.  Sunday was fantastic! It was a really good testimony meeting but what made it really special for me was to see the Chico Lopez family there. We found them several weeks ago and soon discovered they were  less active members. we've been visiting them and they just really want to start to do things right again. It made me super happy to see them in church Sunday.  Even though its only been about a month I can see a huge difference in them. Like they were happy and all before but as they've started to pray and read and assist church as a family, they just look even happier. The gospel is what truly brings happiness. There is no other lasting solution. 

I love you all and hope you have the best week ever! Enjoy my tree selfie from this morning. Life's good and even better when you live the gospel

!

Love,

Elder Smith