Friends and Fam!
I’m back in Agnes!! Man, it has been an amazing week!! Dad, how is your back!!? Did you drink water? haha Mom, you are the greatest! Thanks for the pics! Al and Addi, you look huge. Payt you are a champ!! Stay healthy and fill me in on more football details!! That’s crazy that the first game is here already! Time is going way too fast!! I’m so stressing because I’m worried I’ll only have five and a half weeks in Agnes!! It’s crazy the urgency I feel, but I love it!!! I loved Selkirk, but I love the fast pace of Agnes!! I have been sooo busy I haven’t had time to even think!! I get up at 6:30, workout and then I’m either on the phone or studying until studies because I don’t have time to study for all the investigators and the district! I have four companionships in my district and so we teach all day and then we come in and make plans and I’m on the phone with people in my district and the zone leaders until 10:30. We haven’t been getting to bed until 11 and then we wake up and do it all again! I’m always tired, but man I love it so much!! I love street contacting so much and I got in contact with some good people that got dropped a bit after I left. Oh man! It is so great here because there is no down time between anything! We have a ton of appointments and when we ‘find’ it’s all street contacting so there is no time wasted waiting at doors or walking between doors! You are always talking to people!
The ward is doing so good!! Tim Jackson is a super solid member! Emmanuel moved to the north zone and he’s doing good. The Obeings are doing amazing! They gave us some great referrals this week and Juliet is as good as ever, too!! The Waverly Ward is the best and oh man I just love it here soooo much!! They haven’t been getting the usual #s out to church lately, partly because of shortage of rides!! But since I got here, we found 2 more amazing families and we had to get them there with the other people they were teaching!! We found 23 rides for church this week!! haha 8 were for the Obeings and then one for Gabriel and the rest were for investigators!!! hahaha It was insane!! The crazy thing is that a lot of the investigators we have now, I was here when they were found or taught! Sacapos family came and I so think they will get baptized soon! Then there are a couple of other families that we found this week!! It was so great because I feel like I haven’t missed a beat coming back because I pretty much know all of the solid investigators and all of the members!! I love it here sooo much!! And get this!! The night before I left Agnes we taught Akon and here brother was in the house! He said he wanted to be taught and then I left! Turns out he got baptized about 3 weeks ago and he is the most amazing member ever! He comes out with us all the time and get this! He has been talking to his whole tribe including Daniel (Akon’s husband) and a ton of people here in Winnipeg and his tribe in Sudan! He sent Book of Mormons to Sudan and we have been trying everything to figure out how to get the gospel to them!! President Paulson has met with Gabriel and we are sending their tribe all kinds of info and they read the Book of Mormon every week on Sunday as a tribe! Gabriel is going to Sudan in a couple months to teach them all more!! There are no missionaries there and the closest branch is 9 hours away from the tribe! We are trying to get ahold of the mission president there and hoping and praying that things workout! Gabriel is soooo amazing! Akon is in Texas with Daniel now, but she gets home in a few days. She had been gone most of the summer!! Gabriel was baptized while she was gone and we are hoping if he stays on his brother Daniel that things will workout!! It’s been so crazy!! Like I feel like I’m in a huge, crazy, amazing dream!! I love it here sooo much and I am sooo excited for Akon to get back!! I am definitely feeling pressure! President said he is planning to see Akon baptized! Everyone keeps telling me that she’s the reason I came back to Agnes. I sure hope things workout! He is so amazing and it will be the best thing ever if things workout! Please keep her in your prayers and pray that Daniel’s heart will be softened! The last 4 days have been so amazing though! We have found so many good people!! We have been so blessed already!! Oh and get this, when I left, Martha got dropped, but I talked to her and we are gonna start teaching her again!! Oh man it is so great!! The Obeings are so amazing and Pious is the greatest! Pious finds all of our investigators and he always knows whatever language they speak. He is soooo amazing!! I love the people here so much!!!
I had a question for you! I was wondering if I could get more scriptures for people? But I know they cost a ton so I might hold off until the end of my mission. I know they are spendy and I feel so bad asking you to do it so fill me in on how you feel about the whole idea and what you think I should do because if I give them to all the people I want to we are going to be poor! I just look at Pious's old trashy scriptures and I hear his amazing testimony in every language you can think of and it’s hard to not want to get him some. He will be a bishop one day I am sure of it!! Same with Gabriel. And the Obeing boys will all be amazing missionaries!! They are all kids and they are already better missionaries then I am! All these people are so amazing!!! Also, I am sooo sorry about the speeding ticket!! Should I pay for it from the savings account? I’m driving slower now and I will do my best to not let it happen again! They have those stupid photo cops everywhere!
Oh, my new comp is a champ!! He is from Rigby as I’m sure you know and he was trained in Agnes by Elder Felix last transfer, who is now a zone leader that is serving with Elder Leonard now!! I love Elder Felix and he is a great missionary!! He trained Elder Skinner well!!! Elder Skinner is a champ!! He is working super hard and it will be a great transfer!! I love this area so much and I love my mission so much!!! It is the greatest!!! The church is soooo true!!! I love you all so much!! Payt, stay healthy! Dad take care of your back!! All of you stay healthy and safe!! I love you sooo much!! Alex and Addi, I wanna hear from ya! Give me an update on life!! I love you guys a ton!!
Love Elder Smith!!
P.S. Elder Zoner and Elder Skinner are both from Idaho and Elder Zoner is from Idaho Falls and he said that a ton of people asked him if he knew me. It was soooo weird talking to him today because I don’t really understand the concept that life is still happening there! haha Also, it was so weird going back into the Agnes apartment because it felt like getting back to the house after a week at the cabin! haha Except like 10 times better! It was so neat and it was so great talking to all the members and investigators again! I am so excited for Akon to get home! Get this!! A couple days ago Gabriel was on a mass speaker phone call with a bunch of people from his tribe that are here in Winnipeg, Akon’s family in Texas and the tribe in Sudan!! The call started at 9 PM and ended at 5 AM! Most of it was talking about getting the gospel to Africa and getting Daniel to back off! Gabriel is the best ever! I don’t know him that well yet but I love him so much!! He is a champ and we are teaching with him again tonight!!! Welp times up!! Love you guys a ton and talk to you next week!!!!
