Monday, November 30, 2009

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!



Hey Friends and Fam!


Thank you so much for all of the support! I feel horrible, I really don’t have time to write everyone back. But please keep them coming! They are so great!! ha ha It sounds like it was a crazy week and Alex, I feel your pain! That sounded like a rough weekend! I’m worried about Grandpa! I got Grandma’s letter and I know he will be fine because he’s a stud, but that really stinks that it didn’t go good! Please keep me up dated!!


Alright, this week was crazy! I just need to get used to having hard days and amazing days because that’s just how it is. You hit higher than you’ve ever been and you drop lower then you’ve ever been. But you grow through it all! First off, Thanksgiving was depressing, straight up! ha ha I just wanted to find something wrong with the day because I wasn’t in Mexico eating turkey ‘till I was sick and then tanning it off! ha ha So as you can imagine, I was able to find a lot wrong with the day!! Me and my comp weren’t getting along, it was just a hard day! We still worked hard, but when you have a bad attitude and the Spirit isn’t with you, nothing goes well!


I met a man that is going to sue all of the churches because he has proof that they are all wrong! He remembers all of his past lives and he can prove it! He used to be General Custer, actually! He remembers it all very clearly! I was wondering if Dad wanted to take the case, because ALL of the churches in the world have a lot of money! ha ha He also said he can see the future, so I asked him when would I go home from my mission. He said, June 10, 2010. So maybe I’ll see you sooner then you think! ha ha I told him he was wrong and he said, “I know. Come back tomorrow and then I will know, it takes a little while!" ha ha He also has worn a suit everyday for the last 8 years so he is used to it when he sues the churches next year! He’s way nice though, so that was interesting!


But after the rough Thanksgiving, me and my comp made up and did some serious work. And we had worked really hard everyday before! I taught one man that has 12 cats and he feeds them all something bad because they all have the runs and the poop is all over! ha ha So you can’t breath in his house and of course when I walked in I slipped on a big juicy poop! (I’m aloud to say “poop” but turd isn’t dignified) ha ha So all the way up his stairs I’m slipping all over because my shoe is covered in poop! But the lesson went okay. Then I was street contacting a man and he gave me a box of raisins and he started eating a box. Then right in the middle of the Restoration he just chucks his box over his shoulder! This hit me and my companion’s funny bone real bad!! ha ha I’m just starting the First Vision and I can’t hold it in, so I just loose it laughing and my comp did too! We couldn’t regain our composure! ha ha We laughed harder and harder until all three of us were die-ing! In between laughs my comp asked for his number, and we are teaching him now! He is soo good!! ha ha


Oh! And it finally snowed! We were sliding all over. It was a blast! But this week I learned so much about attitude! Attitude is honestly everything!! Something is only as good as you make it! I ate amazing food on American Thanksgiving prepared by amazing ladies who stayed up all night making it for me and I complained and made the very worst of it!! It was horrible! But I taught a man where I couldn’t breath and my suit will never be the same and my shoes still have poop on them! But because I was trying to be positive, the Spirit was there and it went good! If we stay positive and open to the Spirit, it will be there for us. I learned this more then ever this Sunday! Last Sunday we had a ton of investigators and it was so good, but honestly I wanted more and I had a negative attitude about it! I wasn’t positive and I didn’t get anything out of that meeting because of it! I’ve been that way every Sunday I’ve been here because their wards are so small and have so few strong members that I just had a negative attitude about it and the Spirit wasn’t there! This week we had two investigators show and I was so happy for them! I love them to death! It was Burt the man from McDonalds and Emanuel, the one who has been investigating for 9 months. It was the best Sunday I have ever had! The choir sang and they were horrible and small, but the Spirit was so strong! They were all trying so hard! Everything in the day seemed perfect! I don’t know if I would have learned any more if a General Authority had been there and it was all because of my attitude!! Emanuel is being baptized this Saturday and Burt set a firm date for January 2nd. Both decided on these dates after Sacrament Meeting! It was the best day ever! I love them both so much! After church I was so excited that I told Burt to meet us at McDonalds on Tuesday for our lesson! ha ha That’s where we first set a date with him, and eating at McDonalds for him, and us, is a big thing! ha ha It’s a treat! I’m soooo excited for it! ha ha I love Burt! He’s a goofy native, but he really is changing and it’s sooo amazing!


I never want to have another bad day again, though! Even if it’s the worst day in the world, if I look at it with a good attitude, good things will happen! And if they don’t, they will the next day! ha ha I honestly love it out here but I am scared about transfers! I love the people we are teaching and we have Robert who has the same baptismal date as Burt, if we can get him to come to church! His job is messing things up! But I love this area and I really don’t want to leave! It would kill me! I can see already that this mission thing is all about leaving people that you care about. It’s ridiculous! I’m sick about it already and the transfer hasn’t even happened. ha ha I need to get a better attitude about that one still!! ha ha ha I know that whatever the Lord wants, will happen and I guess that better be good for me! Missions are hard, but so great. It’s crazy!


I love you all so much! Thank you for all that you do for me! Oh and mom the package is here, but I get it tomorrow, so thank you so much in advance! I’m sure it will be amazing!! Oh and you talked about choke cherry syrup! Is there anyway you could get me some of that??? ha ha It sounds amazing!! Oh and also a mini preach my gospel, if you can find one. They might not sell them anymore! Oh, and a super small Book of Mormon and Bible for street contacting, just like a cheap one that we would hand out, but one that is super small? If not, that’s totally fine but that would be neat! Thank you sooooo much! You all are so amazing and I love and miss you all soooo much! Good luck with everything and Payt snowboard it up!! I want stories and pictures!


Love ya! Elder Chandler Smith