Tuesday, August 20, 2013

August 19, 2013


Hey Guys!!!

 

It sounds like everyone is in one piece at home.  I am doing good down here in Texas, just living the mission life, and its hard at times but always good.  This week was busy, and I have some stories to tell you.  For two of the days this week I was on exchanges with another Elder in our District, Elder Barnes.  We worked really hard when we had exchanges, and I got to feel what it feels like to have a full day of work and not just part of a day.  We were on exchanges on Friday and Saturday.  I slept over at their trailer on a couch for two nights.  By the second night I was ready for a bed, but it’s whatever, I'll take wherever I can sleep at this point.  Sleep at night is the best thing ever.  I could go to bed at 8:30 right now.  I never thought that would happen in my life, and I never thought 10:30 would be late, but it is like 1:00 in the morning to me.  This week was hard with my trainer again, and I liked the exchange.  We didn't weekly plan this week, and we didn't even daily plan at all.  I might mention to President Miller that I need help trying to get us to weekly plan.  I tried to get us to plan, but it would never happen.  I'll see how that goes this week. 

 

It rained really hard here on Wednesday.  The rain was nuts and flooded so many areas down here.  Outside our house in Canutillo there was a miniature lake.  We pulled up at the end of the night, and we were like what the.  We stepped out of the car and ducks were quaking like nobody's business.  So we had ducks living outside our house for a couple of days.  The state water people came by and tried to pump some water out but that didn't really happen.  We went to mutual that night, and the area behind the church where there is a volleyball court was flooded as well.  It was nuts, and the lighting that night was crazy as well.  You should see it when it rains down here.  The streets were also flooded, and it is so fun to drive through when they are.  You have a wall of water go above your car when you do.  It’s crazy.  We were knocking on a door on Friday and there was a huge puddle behind us.  I was watching as I waited for someone to come to the door.  This lady came driving by trying to figure how to go about this puddle.  Her window was down for who knows why. I started hearing this engine that was super loud coming closer and closer.  Soon this truck came flying by and completely shot water into this lady's car.  She screamed and tried to roll up the window, but it didn't happen.  I was laughing when I saw it, and no one came to the door, so we left. 

 

On Friday exchanges we went to visit this guy who lives out in the desert, and it was an adventure to get there.  We pulled up and it was a trailer and just desert, with a few more trailers around.  We knocked on the door, and this guy came busting through it with a big huge beer gut and everything.  He was holding a beer and cig in one hand just like Cousin Eddy on Christmas Vacation.  It cracked me up.  He was completely wasted.  We sat outside in the sun teaching him.  We were teaching him, and it was fun.  He pretty much was dropping F-bombs every sentence in Spanish.  He tried to say one in English but it couldn't come out.  We finished our lesson, got up to leave, and he was like, “Let me go grab you some waters.”  He came back with waters, we said “thanks”, and he told us we are always welcome here and this is our house too.  I went to go shake his hand again to be nice and he grabbed me and brought me in for a big, huge hug.  So I got my first drunk hug in the desert this week.  The guy cracks me up and was way fun to visit.  That night on exchange we were teaching a guy.  He asked about baptism and this was like the first real lesson with him.  We talked about baptism, and then I thought to ask him if he would be baptized and follow Christ.  He said he would, and he would ask God.  So that was my first experience with asking someone if they would be baptized.  It was a way cool experience, and I hope that guy gets baptized down the road.  Hopefully Elder Barnes keeps pushing him. 

 

On Saturday, Elder Barnes wanted to go around to all the yard sales and pass out our card.  I was digging it for a bit, but it got super old fast. I tried to get him off the whole yard sale thing by asking if we could stop and get a drink.  He said sure, and I thought my plan worked.  We stopped, and I got a Mexican Coke.  It was probably the best thing I tasted cuz I was super thirsty.  After we left the small store and got into our car he went right back to where we left - trying to find yard sales.  So my plan didn't really work out.  But we only did it for a couple more times.  After we taught some more people, and then we went to dinner.  We switched back around 9:00, and I went back to Canutillo.  I loved the exchange because it showed me how missionary work is really supposed to be.  You need to work hard and not sit around.  I got to help in a lesson for the first time, and it wasn’t just one person trying to talk the whole time.  We both wanted to work hard. 

 

Yesterday, on Sunday, we taught one lesson and that was with Paul.  We showed up to Paul's house, and his daughter was just sitting on the porch.  We asked if he was there, and she said to go inside.  We went inside, and he was like did you see the rattlesnake outside?  We went outside and sure enough there was a big rattlesnake chilling in the yard.  He called up some snake wrangle man, and he was on his way.  Our lesson was pretty much to watch the snake.  The snake man showed up way late, and we lost track of the snake.  We had no clue where it went.  The snake wrangler dude started searching for him.  He was kicking bushes, getting on his stomach, and blowing into holes.  This guy had no fear of snakes.  He could not find it.  He went to the back, and all of a sudden he came out with the snake.  The thing was so long it was crazy.  This guy managed to put the rattlesnake in a small bottle.   It was nuts. 

 

But ya, that was my week for you.  Today I have to go on exchanges with the zone leaders so hopefully that goes good.  I am doing great, and hopefully we can work hard this week.  We are going to stop by Jesus because he wasn't home this week.  So hopefully he is good.  I will let you know next Monday.

 

It sounds like everything is good a home.  That is good Tyler kept the fort down while you guys were gone.  That’s crazy all my friends are almost all gone on missions.  I can't believe Dane and Donald are leaving.  I miss all my friends so much.  I got to run, but have an awesome week with football and school.  I can't wait to hear about it.  Just know how much I love you guys, and I miss you tons.  I wish I was in Portland with you guys! We will have to go back sometime!  Have a good week!  Let all my friends know how much I love them and miss them! Give Donald a big hug for me before he leaves.  Keep it steezy this week!  Love you!!!

 

Con Mucho Amor,

-Elder Smith

 

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