Hey Family!
Thank you so much for the wonderful emails!! You guys are all so great! Payton I’m so excited for you! TURN YOUR HEAD AND COUGH! haha Once that’s over, your papers are on the way, woo woo!! You are a champ! I can't believe you are so old! You are such a stallion! I loved the pictures! Mom don't feel bad about the senior pictures, I’m pumped for the super senior pics when I get home! We should definitely send out announcements again and see if I get more money!! Just kidding, don’t worry about the pics! I definitely wouldn’t have lasted longer than your pictures took and they were all pro, anyways!! Thank you so much for sending Payt’s though! That was neat! I love all your emails!
So first off, Elder Porter is like an all state singer! haha Like he was in these competitions and stuff and he has a beautiful voice and as you all know, I do not! haha So, he has been teaching me to sing while we drive to appointments. It’s been hilarious, but I think I am getting better. So Dad and Payt, I’ll have you know that one day I will sing and it will sound ok!! haha But Elder Porter is a great kid! We have been working super hard and things are going well. This week we had a lot of great stuff happen and a lot of frustrating stuff happen! We set a date with Jelena on Monday and I think I told you about it last week! She is doing great! We taught her 3 times this week and she is way good but then she bailed for church! aaaahhhh So frustrating! But hopefully she will make it this week!! She has a ghetto apartment downtown, but we always teach her at her Mom’s house and her Mom is loaded! The house is way nice. This week on exchange Elder Porter and Elder Clarine did service for her and it went great, which was really good because she had some serious polygamy issues! She has softened a lot and we even got to teach her this week! Hopefully some great things happen there!! It’s crazy because our area is so rich! We don’t get to teach as much and tracting is hard, but man we teach some wealthy people!! This week 3 of our new investigators were from Iran!! They live in this huge house with an indoor pool and everything! Like man they are so loaded and they are Muslim! We had such a good lesson with them, like wow it was the best lesson I have ever had with a Muslim!! It’s funny because back home the Muslim people from Iran are catagorized as terrible people but it is just the opposite!! Muslims are way nicer than the a lot of the self-proclaimed Christians in our area! It’s super interesting and to me it’s been a testimony strengthener of the apostacy. People can be so cruel and rude when they meet us on the door and they claim to be Christians. I have committed myself to never talk down on other faiths or group people because of there faith or culture! haha It’s still a work in progress though, because I think I just barley bashed on self-proclaimed Christians! haha I’m working on it! It’s so interesting though because there are good and bad people in all faiths! I just hope I can always live my life in a way that is in line with the way the Savior would have me live. I have also met some wonderful Christian people that are very kind! You get to learn and experience so much on a mission! It is so great!
So as for the update on Maricio, it was kind of a downer week! He is so good and we gave him 3rd Nephi 11 to read this week. He had big issues with the animals it talks about and the grapes and chandels and all this stuff that he says he knows wasn’t apart of the culture there. He said other than that, he feels really good about everything we have taught and he is still reading and praying about it, but it is definitely a struggle for him! We had a great RM with us (it was actually at his house so we were with him and his wife) haha But he was tons of help and we had some good answers for his concerns, but he is definitely still struggling with it! I sure hope he gets over it!! We had a great lesson plan and we were hoping to set a date, but it all kind of blew up in our face because of his concern. But hopefully this week will be good!! It is so different teaching people here. Like I have had to change my teaching a lot because the people we are teaching know so much! They are so great, but it’s just different than a lot of people and they are so ready for baptism!! ahahhh Just pull the trigger already! And I am getting super tan. My skin went back to its old ways, so I’ve got more zits, but I don’t burn! haha I have a nasty farmers tan and it’s only been summer here for like a week! But things are great! The ward here is so wonderful! It is like a young married ward with a ton of cute young couples, fresh off missions and struggling through medical school!! I love them a ton and it’s way fun teaching with members that are RM’s because everything goes right!! All the lessons are way fun but more stressful too because you feel kind of inadequate sometimes. I have learned a ton!!
Well it’s crazy, but transfers are this week!! It’s insane! I’ve got bets that the next assistant is Elder Platt!! He’s a champ and one of the only ones still young enough, that is a still Zone Leader. We will see what happens! I’m also super interested to see who gets sent out this way because I think Elder Porter is gone this transfer. I guess we will see, but things here are so great! You all are so good to me! I am well looked after and I feel that there are some great people here that I am supposed to find. Please continue to pray that I can find them! I love you all so much and I am so grateful for you all! I am so grateful for the Gospel and for the joy that it brings!! I sent you a package this week so keep an eye out for it! It should be there in a week or two! Payton I am so proud of you! "keep getten’ better everyday!" (The legend Scott Berger) haha
Love Elder Smith
oh ps: I got to talk to Elder Lovelace! He and Elder Leonard go home in like 2 weeks!! aaaahhhhh!!! Gut punch!! But Ronald and Bruce are doing great!! They have callings and are passing the Sacrament and everything!! Good stuff!! Edilyn is doing well and Belatu emailed me and said she has been trying to email you! You will have to see if she writes. Her emails are more broken English than Edilyn’s! haha I love it!! But have a wonderful week!! I love you all a ton!!
