July 22, 2014

Hey Family!

This week was a really hard week, and the past 3 have just been hard, but it’s all good.  We haven't found any new investigators in 3 weeks, and that has been difficult.  But it’s what the Lord wants.  The mission is supposed to be hard, but we will find some new investigators this week.  It’s so hard to find new people out here, but when you do they are gold.  It’s like the gold rush out here.  You look through this huge river just to find a little spec of gold.  I love it out here, and it has helped me to become better inside and change.  I am so happy I get to serve in Chaparral. 

This week was slow and hard.  I swear no one was home this week, and that kind of sucked.  Our numbers took a dive bomb, but that's all good.  My hope right now is to get it up to par again so they don’t close Chaparral to the missionaries.  The Lord gave us a big miracle this week, and that was rad.  We got 11 referrals from a MTC teacher who is currently selling security systems.  He gave us all the people he sold them to and told us to go stop by.  I guess he just brought up our church, and they seemed interested.  So we have been doing that lately, but it hasn't brought forth results yet so hopefully that will change this week.  It was a big miracle from the Lord, and it was awesome.  I love the Lord, and he can do just crazy things in an instant.  It also taught me that the Lord will perform miracles.  All you have to do is ask, and you shall receive.  It was awesome! 

Hector, Denice, and Alejandro are doing good.  We are struggling with Hector, but he loves us coming over.  I think we are the only social life they have, so they love having us over and talking with them.  I think Hector last night was having a date with Mary Jane when we showed up.  He walked out of the bedroom, we got hit by a wall of smoke, and his eyes were the size of moons.  So we got to figure out a way to fix that.  He says that's his thing to do to get away from the world.  He is a nut, and that's all I have to say about him.  Denice is progressing still and loves the gospel.  She knows it’s true, and she is happy she was baptized.  Alex likes it as well.  I am just nervous for when he goes back to school.  I hope he doesn't let the world enter into his life again.  I hope he stands up and everything.  I think he will.  Other than that not much has been happening with our investigators.   We are just trying to find and see what comes from it.  It’s also really crazy that we have 2 weeks of the transfer left.  It has gone by fast, and I am just wondering what will happen next transfer.

Our less actives are doing good too.   They are progressing slowly, but we have tried everything with them and we are at the end of the rope with them.  They just need to start coming to church.  I have learned a lot of patience and love from them.  They are just lazy and need to get their butt back to church.  Their life would be so much simpler.   I have realized that all you need to do in life to have happiness is go to church and have the gospel centered in your life.  When you do that the lord takes care of you.  It is sad to see members caught up in the world and not having true happiness.  They think they do, but it won’t last that long.   The gospel is so true on so many levels it is crazy.  Hopefully we will get some families back to church.  We got one back, but it was mostly them just realizing that they need to come back.  It’s the Familia Gomez.  We didn't stop by that much, and just one day they came to church and kept on coming, so that is pretty rad.  Sure but slowly we will get them all back to church.

It sounds like everything is good at home and everyone is in one piece.  Ella looks super cute, and I wish I could see here.  Time is flying for me, and it’s scaring me to say the least.  I wish I was up at Deer Valley or youth conference this week.  That sounds like it was a blast.  Hopefully Scotty Rich will get into some med schools.  I know he will.  He is the genius of the family to say the least.  I hope Tyler kicks some butt in football this week!  He is a stud!  I hope your guys’ week is awesome!  I miss you tons and love ya!  Have a great week!!

Con mucho amor,

-Elder Smith

July 15, 2014

Hey Family!

This week was a pretty good week.  It was hard, and it’s been hard out here, but you just got to push on and not let the hardness bring you down.  It’s missionary work, and it’s never easy, but I sure love it.  We got Denice and Alejandro confirmed this week.  We had something crazy with that happen to us, but I will tell you the story later.  It rained super hard on Sunday.  That was a miracle, but it was super humid after.  All these crazy bugs came out, and I caught a wild turtle.  That was pretty tight.  Also it’s tarantula season out here, and they are just everywhere at night.  We saw 3 of them during the week, and it was crazy.  They were all in one night, so it was gross.  They are hairy suckers.  I am loving life though. 

This week, like I said, was hard.  We are having troubles finding people to teach lately.  A lot of people were gone this week because I think everyone is trying to get one last vacation before school starts.  Most of the members this week were gone, and so our member presents lacked.  I feel like sometimes I am doing most of the work, and that's hard, but what effs.  Denice and Alejandro got confirmed this week, and that was rad.  They showed up to church, and that was super awesome.  Sacrament meeting started, and we were waiting for them to call them up and confirm them.  The meeting rolled on, and they weren't doing it.  It got to the last part, and that's when I shot up to the stand and asked the Presidency if they could confirm them.  It was a whole miscommunication thing because one of the counselors thought she wanted a member that was out of town to confirm her.  But I just told them I don't care who does it - we just need to confirm them.  Presidente Portillo did them both.  It was super rad, and I was happy we got them confirmed.  It was a relief.  They are doing well, and it’s cool to see a new light inside of them.  I hope they progress even more.   Also this week we found a less active who I've been looking for since I got there.  Her name is Nelly Macias.  And old less active ward missionary put her name up on a board at the church, but the address spot was empty.  We have been asking her brothers and sisters about her, but they told us a street and the color of the trailer, and that's it.  We got a call this week from a member who has been in Chaparral since the ice age, and he asked us to come over.  He asked us if we could get the mail for him this week because he has to go to a clinic up in Las Cruces for his Parkinson’s.  We told him we would, and he came out with a slip of paper and gave it to us, and it was her address.  I was doing backflips in my chair, and we later contacted her and set up a time for us to come back.  I am super happy we found her, and it was a miracle from the Lord.  So that was pretty tight.  We saw Presidente Ramirez this week, and he is doing good.  I saw him on exchanges this week with another Elder, and we just talked with him.  He told us up front when we walked in that he just wanted to talk.  I love him so much and it’s sad to see that he has family problems and just won’t let go of the past and come back.  But he is a stud.  Other than that, not much happened this week.  We are struggling to find new investigators, so hopefully that will change this week.  It’s such a great area, and it just needs some hard work.

But ya, other than that, life is the same out in the desert.  It was weird this week to hit my 13th month mark.  I was thinking about how 13 months ago I was in the MTC, hitting my one month mark and being so happy.  Time has flown, and it’s scaring me how fast it has gone.  The mission is great, and I love helping people and just serving.  Time never slows down, and it’s weird but God always will take care of us.  I read a scripture in 3 Nephi 31 & 32:  "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth ye have need of all these things."  I liked that a lot this morning because no matter what we need God will take care of us when we do his will.  I thought I would share that with ya! 

It sounds like everything is good a home.  I miss you guys a lot, but it’s all good.  Thanks for the package.  Everything in it was rad tastic, and you didn't have to do that for me!  Thanks for everything.  Tyler - keep being a stud with everything dude.  You’re such a stud, and just hit the grass hard in football.  You deserve the QB spot more than anything, and you have the mind and mentality for it.  You are a great leader, and that's what the team needs.  Just keep being the duder you are, and it will pay off.  I will be praying for Scotty and for everyone.  Hopefully Scott gets in!  I love you guys tons, and I am jealous of Ella!  I can't wait to see her!  She has the best parents!  I love you guys, and you are in my prayers always!  I miss ya!  And happy 32 years mom and dad!  I couldn't have asked for better parents, and it’s been a fun time with ya.  There are a lot more memories to come!  Love ya!

Con Amor,

-Elder Smith

July 8, 2014

Hey guys!!!

It sounds like you had a very fun trip, and I am jealous.  It sounds like Ella is growing up and that is awesome.  I miss not being able to see her.  This week was a good week, hard but good.  We had the baptism but not a confirmation.  I will explain more later, but it was a good baptism, and I enjoyed it.  President Miler showed up, and that was fun.  I love him so much.  I almost hit a dog this week, and that was funny.  We are struggling finding new investigators this week, and that's okay – it’s all missionary work.  I am loving Chappy and serving the people out yonder.  I never thought I would fall in love with a desert but I definitely have.  I don't know if I told you but we found a tarantula the other week, and it was crazy.  I’ll send you a pic.  But overall it was a good week expect for the hard parts.

Denise and Alejandro got baptized this week, and it was rad tastic.  My comp baptized Alejandro, and I baptized Denise.  It was a great baptism, and President Miller showed up.  He was down south this week, and when I saw him pull up I peed my pants.  He was really happy to see us, and he interviewed us.  He kind of hinted that he might be closing down this area.  I just hope he doesn't.  I would feel like my work wasn't good enough, but we will see in 3 more weeks.  President kept on telling us congrats, and he was happy.  It was really good to see him.  There was a lot of ward support at the baptism, and that was rad.  It went really well on Saturday.  Sunday rolled around, and it was going good.  We had Branch Council, and it was tight.  We were getting ready to confirm them and bless their kids who were not old enough to be baptized.  We left halfway to make some phone calls, and Cesar came out and told us they weren't coming.  They called him and told him they could not make it.  We texted her later, and she told us she had a really bad tooth ache.  So they didn't show up and get confirmed.  I was depressed, but it’s missionary work.  We ate with them later that night, and it was a good dinner.  She didn't seem like she was in too much pain.  I hope she isn't regretting it, and it’s a real tooth ache.  Hopefully they will come next week.  We talked to President Miller about it, and he about died.  He told us we had 30 days to confirm them so hopefully they just don't run off.  The Spirit was strong, and it was an awesome service.  

All our other investigators really didn't have time for us.  It was kind of sad and hard.  We have been trying to find new investigators, but it hasn't been working.  Hopefully we will pick up the slack and turn this area around more.  We had an awesome heart to heart with Presidente Ramirez, the old Presidente de la Rama.   A week ago, I had this thought to call him and invite him on a visit.  I didn't know why I had that thought, but I just acted upon it, and we called him.  He told us “no” but maybe another time.  We showed up there, and he just broke down on us.  He told us he really wants to visit people with us, but he told us he knows he wouldn't have the spirit with him at all in the lessons because he isn't coming to church.  He thanked us for always thinking about him.  It was really cool to me because it’s crazy how the Holy Ghost works in just a thought, and it’s something that will turn out great in the end.  I love the Holy Ghost.  He also told us he has no power to come to church.  I have a really strong feeling that his family life needs help.  He told us he needs to fix it before he comes back.  His wife thinks he cheated on him while he was the Presidente of the Rama. but it’s not true at all.  She is crazy - that's all I have to say, but he has a golden heart, and I like him a lot.  Hopefully he will progress. 

The Fourth of July was nuts down here.  That's all I can say.  The sky was erupting with sparks, and people were just going crazy and sipping back on grandpa’s old cough medicine.  It was gnarly but good.  The next day fireworks and beer cans were everywhere.  It was crazy and funny.  I think there was more beer than fireworks out here.  It was just dandy.  Sunday I almost killed a dog.  We were driving down a dirt road.  This guy was with another dude, and his dog was just walking beside him.  I was just about ready to pass him, and the dog dashed right in front of us.  The owner was like, "Oh Sh*&.......Ohhhhhhhh Shi&%!!!!!"  I hit the brakes hard, and somehow the dog lived.  I am pretty sure some road-kill angels were looking out for that dog.  It was nuts.  But that was my week for ya in a nutshell!

 I am happy you guys had a fun trip, and I miss you tons!  Thanks for everything you do for me!  I couldn't have gone this far without you guys!  I hope you guys have a wonderful week, and you are in my prayers!  I love you guys tons!

Con mucho amor,

-Elder Smith 

July 1, 2014

Hey Family!!

It’s good to hear that you’re in one piece in Mexico, and I loved the pics.  I miss Mexico so much, and I wish I was there to just chill out.  I loved mother’s hat that we got for her in Denver, Colorado in the hat shop by the dog store.  I wish I could be jamming out to Aerosmith and just living life, but I am doing the Lord's work, and I am blessed to do it.  I love serving the Lord, and I love the mission.  It’s scary that it is already July, and the end is near.  I know I have a while to go, but I now have the end in reach.  I have loved it here in Chappy, and it has served me well. 

This week was really good, and we worked hard.  I said goodbye to Elder Stewart on Tuesday, and he ended up getting sent off to Downtown ABQ in the War Zone.  That's were Breaking Bad was mostly filmed.   He went from nothing to everything.  It will be good for him.  I got a new companion.  He is Elder Berrett from West Jordan, Utah.  He is a really cool dude, and I enjoy being around him.  It’s been different because I was so used to doing things with Elder Stewart, but it’s for the better, and I am happy.  I am loving life out here in Chappy, and I like my new companion. 

Denise and Alejandro are going to get baptized this week, and I am stoked!  They came to church this Sunday, and even Hector showed up, so it was tight.  Hector came in with jeans, a logo t-shirt, and a huge Virgin Mary chain.  It was awesome and made me laugh.  They passed their interview for baptism, and now we are in the clear.  We spent our weekly planning session at the church this week on Monday and tested filling up the font.  It took an hour, so that was good we figured out the time.   We also cleaned it super well and got it all ready.  My companion is going to baptize Alejandro, and I am baptizing Denise.  She is a big women so it’s going to be an adventure - the font isn't that big, so wish me luck.  But I am excited.  I am so blessed to come in contact with them and help them progress.  It has been all the Lord’s work, but I was blessed to be his instrument in their life.  It’s been great.  Denise at church was shouting the answers to questions when they were asked.  It was making me laugh.  She also was making the ward laugh, so it was rad.  She is very prepared, and Elder Berrett has helped a lot with Alejandro.  He got him stoked for his baptism, so it was awesome.  I am excited.

We found 3 new investigators this week, which was sweet.  One of them was a handoff of an investigator who the English sisters taught in our area.  He had a baptism date, so it was a blessing from the Lord.  He told us he would for sure come to church, but he didn't show up.  His name is Luis.  Hopefully he will progress.  We also finally were able to sit down with this referral that me and Elder Stewart had.  She has been super busy.  We taught her the restoration, and it was cool.  She really liked it, and we are going back this week.  Her name is Salvina Sanchez.  We also found this lady who was a referral from one of our members.  He met her in the prison when he went to go visit someone.  She was visiting her son.  She told him she really loved when the missionaries came over and was super happy to hear that there is a church out in Chaparral. We contacted her and shared the first two points of the restoration, and she invited us back.  It was sweet.  She has a weird first name, but her last name is Loera.  One of her kids was growing a weed plant out in the yard, and it made me laugh.  We are still hitting the less actives and trying to make it work with them.  They all are super lazy, so hopefully we can bring some back with Elder Berrett.  We are just working away up here trying to bring Chappy success.  That was my week in a nutshell.

It sounds like everyone is doing good, and I am happy that you’re all safe and sound in Cancun.  I miss that place, but I love the desert.  I hope you guys have a wonderful week, and you are in my prayers always.  I love being a missionary, and I am blessed to carry the Savior’s name on my chest.  It is his work not mine.  Oh, one last thing.  We saw a tarantula this week, and it was crazy.  I am going to send a pic!  I love you guys tons and I miss you tons too!  Have a wonderful week, and I will have a baptism photo for you next week!  Love ya!
 

Love,

-Elder Smith

June 23, 2014

Hey Family!

This week was an awesome week, and we worked hard our last week together.   I am staying in Chaparral, so I am going on my 4th transfer out here in the desert.  My companion is going north, and that's all I know.  He is sad to leave but excited to see what the Lord has in store for him.  He also got called to be a senior companion, so he was excited about that.  He is going to be a great missionary wherever he goes.  This area is tough, but it’s a great area.  Slowly but surely the work goes on out here.

Hector, Denise, and Alejandro are doing good.  Hector’s date dropped this week.  He was gone on a work trip all this week and came back Sunday night.  We are going to hardly see him for the next month.  It was kind of a blessing from the Lord to get him out of the house.  We learned a lot about him and it helped Denise and her son progress more and also helped them get to church.  Hector has some challenges we are working on.  But little by little we will get him in the water.   I love him to death.  Denise and her kids came to church this week, and I was doing a little dance.  It was a miracle from the Lord, and I am so happy to see someone progress.  A member picked her up and took her home.  She was loving the company and telling everyone she is being baptized July 5th.  It was super cool, and I am excited for her and her son.  Alejandro, the son, is progressing slowly, and I am just hoping he makes the date we have for him.  He worries me a little, but I think he will do it once it’s all said and done.  They are a super cool family.  So it looks right now that we are going to have a baptism out here in Chaparral for the first time in a while.  The ward is loving it, and it’s a great gift from God.  We have just been instruments in his hands, and he has done all the work.  Joey, our crazy dude, is probably going to jail real soon.  He got a letter in the mail from the government or something telling him they are sending a tactical squad to his door because of his unpaid child support.  So that's a blessing, and hopefully once he gets out he will be baptized.  He said he will probably be gone in a month or so.  So Joey is going out with a bang and getting a tactical squad to his door.  Our less actives are doing good and just slowly but surely coming back to church.  It’s been hard but good.  We just need to find a little more and see if we can get more people with baptism.

Other than that the week was hard but good.  There was no one out at all this week so contacting was hard, but we tried.  It’s been getting hotter out here.  We got a little rain, but it just rained for like 2 minutes and that was it.  It is seriously like the movie Holes out here.  Hot dry air and no rain.  I love it though, and it’s been a great adventure.  I will be letting you know next week who my new companion is.  I hope he is good, but whoever it is, I can handle him.   I love my mission, and it’s been so great to me.  My testimony has grown, and this gospel is so true.

That's awesome you are going to Mexico, and I am jealous.  I wish I could be testing out my crappy Spanish.  That's going to be fun and bring back some memories of using the boogie boards in the pool to go launching off the waterfall Tyler and I always jumped off.  And the crazy Europeans in their Speedo's.  I love Cancun, but I am doing a better work.  Have a wonderful time, and I hope it is fun.  I can't wait to hear about it!  I hope everything else goes good this week, and I miss you guys tons!  Have a great week, and I love you tons!

Con Amor,

-Elder Smith