ZITS, HEMORRHOIDS, BED BUGS, AND SPEEDING TICKETS

Hey!

So, it was a great week, but a lot of not so great things happened! haha I’m getting zits again, I have hemorrhoids, we have bed bugs, and I got another speeding ticket!! So I thought long and hard about Christmas, like you asked. And I was just wondering if you would forgive me for all the money I have to blow on Preparation H, face wash, suppositories, dry cleaning, and speeding tickets? haha I’m sooooooo sorry about the ticket! I hate photo cops!! I asked to not drive anymore and the vehicle coordinator laughed and said, “Ok... well you can’t anyways until you come and watch the defensive driving video!” haha Luckily, it doesn’t do anything to my insurance or my record or anything because they can’t prove it was me. It is just the fine, that has to be paid!Hopefully I can talk them down again! But I’m so sorry, I feel way bad. I got it racing to church. It is so ridiculous because I slow down in all intersections so I won’t get them but it was a hidden one in between intersections! I’m so sorry!!!

So for Christmas, I was just hoping for a new copy of my Patriarchal blessing, with more ink and Mom’s name spelled right. Also, no books please. I love all the books you’ve sent, but I’m not aloud to read them and so they just sit in my suitcase. I’m way excited to read them at some point though!! Also, I know you won’t send just my blessing because you’re amazing and stubborn! haha So would you get scriptures for EMMANUEL AYENI, with his name on them. He is amazing and he lives in our ward now! He comes and helps us teach a bunch. And if you can’t remember, he was the first man I taught, that got baptized! If you did, that it would be so great!! I am allowed to listen to books on tape in the car when we drive, so if there is a good one on the Atonement or the Gospel or something, I would love that! Also, zit pills and I promise I’ll take them. haha I don’t like the rub on stuff because it makes my skin too sensitive, but if the doc has any magic pills, that would be so great! And yes, choke cherry syrup is always the best! Please don’t worry about sending a bunch of stuff, though!! The scriptures and phone call would make a great Christmas!! You are the best!! Sooo sorry for all of the blown money on stupid stuff!! If you’re mad or out of money, just stop putting money in the account, hahaha You are amazing!! Elder Holland brags about his Dad paying for his mission, my parents pay for my mission, plus speeding tickets, hemorrhoid and acne treatments, and anything else you can think of!! You are so amazing and I love and miss you so much!!

Mom, sorry I won’t be there to make you a cake, but you can count on one next year! Your gift is coming, but it’s late and lame!! Hopefully you will forgive me!! You’re the best!!

So this week was crazy!! All this ridiculous stuff happened, but it really was a great week!! I really have been so blessed!! Bed bugs were figured out fast. Suppositories give you the best poops ever! And I can read my scriptures more when we are driving, now that I am the passenger!! Also, Celia is doing amazing!! She passed her interview on Sunday morning and she will be baptized this Wednesday!! She has been ready for a little while, but she was set on the date she set to begin with!! I don’t know why we set it so far away! We didn’t think she’d be able to quit weed and coffee so fast, but she stopped the day we taught it and only had one slip up!! She is so amazing and she has a great testimony!! But she heard Elder Leonard was getting transfered and she wanted to move it up so that he could be here! Before the general authority came, the mission was against this kinda thing, but he said baptism is like Christmas. . . why wouldn’t you want it to come now, if you are ready! So, President was all game. It will be a great week!! She is so ready!! So she will get baptized Wednesday and Elder Leonard leaves for Saskatoon on Thursday! I’m staying here for another one and I’m excited about it!! I will be serving with Elder O'Driscoll. He is a champ! He’s the one who had a rough start but is tearing up Brandon right now! He is the only new Zone leader this transfer and he’s great! I’m kinda nervous because I don’t think that I know all the zone leader stuff and I have to show him. I guess if it doesn’t go well, I can blame it on Elder Leonard! But I’m excited because I have never served with someone like Elder O'Driscoll before! He’s comparable to Matt Collette. Like he’s super hard working, but a goof ball, so hopefully all goes well! I’m sure I’ll learn a ton!

The area here is doing so good!! We really had a great week and we are teaching some amazing people!! I had a funny story for ya though!! We were teaching a less active family who has been getting more active, but the mom was engaged to this guy and they called off the wedding. But he is still hanging around! He was over at their place the other day and we were teaching and he said that he had some issues with the church. So his “girl friend” (I guess) haha said “like what?” All of this is in front of me and my companion. He said, “This law of chastity thing, I just don’t get it!” She said, “Well you can’t have me until I have a ring and you can’t give me a ring until you turn things around and get baptized!’ haha So we were a little shocked by that, but we kinda just sat there nodding our heads. He started arguing with her and then says, “I just can’t keep myself off of you!” He then looks over to us (the 20 year old kids) and says, “Don’t you think this is crazy!?! She’s being ridiculous!” He said it with hope that we’d back him up! hahaha So I started teaching the law of chastity and he wasn’t too happy! Once he saw that we weren’t gonna back him up, he started arguing with her again. She then started taunting him, waving her fingers at him saying, “You don’t get any of this without a ring on my finger.” hahah He finally stood up and said, “Fine! We are done!” And he stormed out! She laughs in shock and said, “Well, I don’t care, I want to get to the temple!” It was pretty crazy!! Also hilarious and the funny part is that he showed up to church two days later with her! Funny stuff!! It’s amazing the funny things you see happen!!

Also, in our area there were 3 shootings last week. I almost didn’t tell you this because I didn’t want you nervous because we are 100% safe and we stay in good, safe areas at all times, I promise!! I told you because our area used to be the scariest area in the mission, but since the shootings, there are 2 cop cars on every corner. I thought it would give you comfort, because now our area is the safest area in town!

Things are going so great though!! We are teaching a ton of great people that have set dates and I will try and update you on them next week!! Missions are the best! Its funny because Elder Schulte came back to visit after being gone only 6 weeks! He is way depressed and misses the mission sooo much! I felt so bad for him!! It made me so grateful to be out here though!! Missions really are the best!! I’m safe healthy and happy and if it wasn’t for amazing parents, I would also be in debt!

Again, I’m so sorry for the ticket!! I love you all so much!! I’ll look forward to telling you how the baptism goes! It should be another great week!! I love you a ton and tell Payton and Alex and Addi that I’m glad to see they aren’t too torn up that I’m still gone! hahahah Tell ‘em I love ‘em and I would love to hear from them! Tell Payt it’s fine, I know he’s way busy with stuff! Give me an update on the arm! Love you!

Love Elder Smith

ZONE MEETINGS WENT GREAT! ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO TEACH A JEW?

Happy Halloween!

Man, you all look so great! Alex and Addi, I loved the costumes! You both look so happy and healthy! I’m so glad you are doing so well!! Payton, you have more facial hair than I do! Lookin good! Sounds like Senior Football Night was a downer!! It’s a sad day when you know you will never get laid-out again, you’ll never get to look up to all of the smart coaches and there life changing stories(haha don’t get me wrong, I really do look up to SOME of the coaches), you’ll never again get to walk like you pooped you pants because you’re beat up after game day, you’ll never again be part of something that makes it impossible for you to put your right arm around a girl, or pick your nose or wipe your bum, you will never again get to see others succeed because they didn’t give 100%, so they stayed healthy all season! hahaha I could go on! Don’t get me wrong, I love and miss football a ton! But, there are bigger, better things buddy! Cheer up and love life! You’ve got a lot of exciting stuff coming your way!! I can’t wait to hear some of your skiing stories! Don’t break anymore bones though and watch out for trees, please!! Payt, I love you a ton and I’m so proud of you and what a great kid you are!! I love and miss all of you guys a bunch!

So this week was interesting! We taught zone meeting and it went really well! The trip home from Brandon was good and both zone meetings were fun! President came to the other one and I think he liked it! The week went really well!! Celia is doing super good! She hasn’t missed a week of church and she is excited for her date!! It’s the 20th, so it’ll be here before we know it!!

Waverley had another baptism this week and get this!!! Belatu spoke at it and did a great job!! I didn’t get to go, but I heard it was super good! It was someone that the sister missionaries had been teaching! Her name is Rachell and she is actually a cousin of Akons! It was a great day and President Paulson baptized her!

We are still teaching a lot of great people and we had a really good week. We taught a lot and we have a bunch of people who are really good!! This transfer has gone so fast!! It seems like every transfer is cut in half!!

This Halloween was a pretty interesting one!! We taught in the morning before church and then went to church. It went great and most everyone we were planning on, made it! Then we rushed over to the other church across town for Stake Coordination. This was my second one and it was pretty scary, again! It was the four Winnipeg Zone Leaders, the Assistants, President Paulson, President Robison and one of the High Councilman. It’s funny because we get updates from all of the different branches and wards in our zone and then report on them. We report on the recent converts and bishops and ward mission leaders. Then they ask us questions about them. It is pretty scary, just because they are intimidating! But it all went well!!

Then we went home and ate quick and then had an appointment with a lady named Amie and her son named Goodwin. They were so good and set a baptismal date! I’m super excited about them! But then our night was pretty much over. The members here don’t really think about the missionaries during the holidays. There are some great members here though, it’s an interesting ward because it is full of super humble people. But almost everyone needs help, rather than can give help. It really is a miracle that it functions the way that it does! haha I definitely am learning to love the people here though and hopefully we are helping!

We really did have a great week, but nothing too crazy happened. We set a couple more dates and we had a new man named Jamie come to church and he’s Jewish!! Anybody know how to teach a Jew!? He’s way interested and he seems really good but everyone else I’ve taught usually shares the common ground of a belief in Jesus Christ. Any ideas?? I just want to say, “Come on man! The Messiah came already!!!”

But nothing else too crazy! We did final stewardships today for transfer planning this week and it’s so interesting to talk about the missionaries in our zone. I’ve learned so much from trying to find ways to help them. It’s just interesting to me how some missionaries treat there mission. It’s super sad to see some and super exciting to see others because you know they are going places!! There are so many missionaries that perform so far under their potential and it’s so sad!! I definitely hope to always do my best to reach my full potential! It’s so amazing because we all have the potential to do such great things and due to disobedience or just laziness, it’s so easy to miss our full potential! It’s also been sad to see people fall short of there potential, just because they lack the faith and confidence that they can do great things! It’s also been a testimony builder to me that as we do our best and turn the rest over to the Lord it’s amazing how much we can do! There is a missionary in Brandon that has had a rough mission so far because of his attitude and some bad companions. But the last couple transfers he started to see some success and he has blossomed!! He now has 15+ baptismal dates and he is just tearing Brandon to pieces! It’s just funny because a year ago or even 6 months ago you never would of guessed that he could tear up an area like that! It’s amazing because I don’t think any of us really realize our full potential! Everyday I see more and more that there is so much more that I can learn and do better!! And it can either be an exciting thing or a depressing thing! But I know that as we do our best and work our hardest, pushing forward in faith and then turn the rest over to the Lord, everything will workout and we can accomplish amazing things.

I’m so grateful for the great experiences I get to have everyday and I’m so grateful for all of the great love and support I get from home! I’m so blessed!! Mom, Dad, Payt, Alex, Addi, Gpa and Gma, and Papa and Grammy and Everybody else, you are the best!! Thanks for everything!! Love ya a ton and have a great week!! Love Elder Smith

BISHOP BARONINS WAS PUT IN THE STAKE PRESIDENCY!

Hey!

It sounds like you are all doing great! Mom and Dad looking good!! haha I’m glad you guys had fun at the Moss’s Halloween Party and nobody had anything to crazy happen! Oh Payton, don’t keep hurting your arm! Get better for skiing season!! And if you’re healthy you gotta try out for basketball and mess around and throw some elbows! haha You probably won’t be healthy in time, but I was hoping you could show Zack Smith a thing or two, one more time.

So Dad, as for your question about P-days, they haven’t been too exciting. If we have spare time, we take a nap! But this week has been a really fun one for P-day. We actually left early this morning to drive to Brandon. It’s a couple hours west of Winnipeg. We are teaching the zone meeting this week, but the Brandon district has too far to drive in, so we come out here to teach it, and then we will teach it again to the rest of the zone on Wednesday. Dauphin, Portage, La Prairie and the 2 Brandon sets, will all be in here tomorrow for the meeting! Today we got to drive here, then we went bowling, ate “all you can eat” at Pizza Hut and now we are emailing! Tonight we will do an exchange here with the Brandon elders and then tomorrow morning we will teach the mini zone meeting and do interviews and teaching evaluations. Then we will bust it home for our appointments starting at 5 PM. It’s been fun and different, but it gets frustrating not having as much time in our area. It’s just the only way that it can be done with how huge the mission is! It should be a fun couple days though!

I’m excited for the zone meeting! I’ve really learned to love teaching, investigators, members or missionaries! It’s honestly addicting!! This week was another great one though! Celia is doing so good! She’s been clean for like 10 days or something now and she went to Stake Conference yesterday and a fireside last night! We found out she has also been meeting with Jehovah Witnesses. She told them about her baptism and that she knows the Book of Mormon is true! Of course they went off, but she stood up for herself. Hopefully all goes well there. She is set on getting baptized and she has been taught and is living everything now. Any ideas on how to completely get rid of the J-dubs? She knows the church is true, but they are her friends so we aren’t sure how to handle it because she can still have friends of other faiths, but just not J-dubs trying to convert her! She is doing great though and hopefully all goes well there.

This week went great though! We had tons of great appointments and set baptism dates with Amber, Ali, Rita, Alfea and we have others that are close! People feel the Spirit and are setting dates in the first lesson, but it’s just when we hit the commandments that it slows a lot of them down. We are teaching a bunch of really great people though!! If things work out good we should have a lot of baptism coming up.

We have one stubborn old lady named Margaret, that has been a J-dub for 29 years, that is now investigating. She has been coming to church and she feels the Spirit there, but she has real problems with certain doctrinal issues, because she’s been a J-dub for so long! She has a friend that was excommunicated, that is amazing though! He has a crazy story, but he is trying to get baptized again and he is trying hard to help us convert Margaret! His name is John and he is amazing!! Since he started working on getting "un-excommunicated" a couple months ago, he has read the Book of Mormon 4 times! He is an RM and he is amazing! But Margaret is sooo stubborn that all she wants to do is argue with us when we try to teach her. I’ve tried teaching her twice since I’ve been here and it is so frustrating because I can’t get two words in! And the words I did get in, I was pretty much yelling because I was sooo frustrated. But John really wants us to teach her. And she still comes to church every week! But she refuses to read the Book of Mormon. . . until this week! John made her read with him and she called us and said, “How come I’ve studied the bible for years with the Jehovah Witnesses and it doesn’t make sense at all and then I read this book and everything makes perfect sense??" Then Elder Leonard pretty much yelled into the phone, "Because it’s TRUE Margaret!!" haha She then passed the phone to John. The next day she called and said she wanted to be baptized! So we teach her Wednesday and we will see what happens!

Other crazy stuff, I had supper at a part members house where the husband is an Athiest. We had quite the debate. It was hard for the Spirit to be there because he was just plain mean. It was the only supper appointment I’ve been to where I was made fun of the whole time for believing in God. I got some shots in, but it was going no where. He just threw “Anti” at us the whole supper appointment. It’s funny because Elder Leonard just took it and enjoyed his supper. I’ve really worked hard to not argue with people because you go no where, but I had had enough with this guy! So it turned into a debate. It was good because I’m pretty sure I won! But bad because the Spirit wasn’t there and that man will never change. It was all in good fun and never got heated, but it was definitely an interesting experience! His wife is amazing though and she helped us get people to church this week!!

And get this! It was Stake Conference this week and it was the best!! I saw everybody from Waverly and Selkirk!! It was so great! Belatu is doing great the Obengs are still crazy! Everyone else is doing really good!! Emanuell is also now in our area here and he is great! He goes out and teaches with us and he has a super testimony! But get this!! Bishop Baronins is now in the Stake Presidency!! When it was announced you heard all of the Waverley Ward and the missionaries let out a gasp like they’d been punched in the gut! He will be the Bishop and the Second Counselor for the next four weeks. He is amazing!! I told him how great he was and congratulated him and he said "I don’t do anything, the Lord does everything, I just have to not get in the way!" haha He is a champ! But it’s so sad to have him gone! It’s definitely a shot to the Waverley Ward! And get this!! 29 years ago he was baptized and he had to speak in Stake Conference. When he spoke, President Oler was the 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency. 29 years later (now President Baronins) stood up to speak for his second time in stake conference, this time as the 2nd Councelor and now President Oler is once again the 1st counselor! Now if that isn’t amazing I don’t know what is!! haha President Baronins joked about how President Oler never would have guessed that 29 years later he would be up speaking again, but as the 2nd Counselor. It’s crazy! President Robison is still the Stake President! It was such a neat thing though!! I loved seeing everybody!! I have met sooo many amazing people here!! I love it here so much!! The crazy part is that I’ve now been in Canada almost a whole year! It’s insane and super scary!! Winnipeg is the best!!

I’m healthy and happy and all is well!! Stay safe and have a great week!

Love Elder Smith!

PS Tell the Baronins congrats please! Sister Baronins loves your emails!! Please tell them I’m so grateful for them and I love and miss them a bunch!! Also thank her again for my great B-day bash that she threw and tell her thanks a ton for the great apple pie! haha She’s so good to me!! Thanks!! I love and miss you guys a ton! Have a great week!

CELIA IS ON TRACK! ELDER PLATT AND I GO TO SELKIRK FOR LAUREN'S BAPTISM

Hey!

Wow, I was just emailing ya! haha I should of just skipped last week! Sounds like Payt is still hanging in there! Mom you are amazing!! I just can’t get over all that you and Dad do for us!!! You are the best!! There was a talk in church from President Robison yesterday in ward conference that really made me think!! He talked a lot about the large roll his parents played in his life and in the gospel, even though his dad was an inactive member. And NO, it didn’t remind me of you because I’m worried about Dad going inactive because he’s turning into a redneck! haha It really made me think about how blessed I have been!! I honestly have the best family ever!! Mom and Dad, you do so much for me!! It’s funny because I have a reputation in the mission for being the most loved son! And it is so true!! You do so much for me and I am so sorry that I wasn’t more grateful!! You are the most amazing parents ever!! I love and look up to you sooo much! Thank you for all that you do for me!!

Now, on that note... Mom are you going soft on me!?! I thought Addi wasn’t getting her ears pierced till she was 12!? haha What’d she do to talk you into it!? I had to atleaste give you a little bit of a hard time for that!! Payt, buddy I hope you are doing well! Keep relaxing and keep your head up and focus on skiing season! I want lots of pics, so you better go get a camera!! Stay safe and heal quick! Love ya buddy!

So this week was good! Or I guess the last 4 days! So Kerry got shipped back to New Zealand and is hopefully being taught there now. But we found some great people this week and had some amazing lessons! Celia is really good!! We taught the Word of Wisdom and she’s been clean from marijuana and coffee for 3 days now!! It has been hard on her but she is doing so great!! Last night she called because she was supposed to call if her cravings were really bad and if she had already tried reading, praying, and deep breathing! haha She called and she had locked herself downstairs with her Book of Mormon. She said that she had prayed and started crying and she felt really good and uplifted, but then the cravings were hitting hard! We talked about it on the phone and then I said a prayer with her over the phone. She is so good and I think if she makes it through this week, she will be set and we might even move up here date!

Since Elder Sybrowsky came, President is all about setting dates as soon as possible. Celia is such a great lady and it amazes me that she is doing what she is doing! I often wonder if I were in the same situation, if I would have the guts and diligence to try to push out addictions and all the other things she has just always known and done!! It is such a neat thing to see!! The gospel truly changes lives and it is amazing!!! Hopefully she can continue to stay strong and get through these addictions!! I just now talked to her on the phone again and she’s doing all good!! She turned down her friend for coffee this morning!! I’m super excited for her! Keep her in your prayers!!

Because of all the crazy stuff last week, I forgot to tell you that Lauren, in Selkirk, was baptized! He is the man that Elder Platt and I found. I taught him most everything, but when I left, he was still struggling with the Word of Wisdom. Elder Platt worked with him and then was transfered right before the baptism! So last Saturday, Elder Platt and I got to go up to it and I was asked to speak, last minute. haha I didn’t have anytime to prepare, but luckily I’m a missionary and I talk about baptism a lot so it was no stress! haha It was great driving back up with Elder Platt! He is a great kid and he is doing great work in Agnes, which is now called Stafford. When I left, the Agnes apartment shut down and the area got bigger because there are going to be less missionaries. So now they are in Stafford, same area, just a bit bigger! Elders Platt and Skinner are tearing things up there!!

Last night we had an amazing appointment with a man named James. He set a baptismal date and he is quitting smoking today. But he lives just out of our area, so we have to turn him over. It will be good for the elders there though!! They have both been out a year and neither of them have seen a baptism! They are great elders, but just haven’t seen much success!! They were way excited when we turned James over, so it was good!

I went on exchange with Elder Perry, one of the Assistants to the President and it was great!! He has a full ride football scholarship when he gets home. He loves fly fishing and hunting and he is an amazing missionary!! I learned a lot and we had a blast!! Elder Oberg, the elder that wanted to go home, met with Elder Sybrowsky and he’s a fireball now!

Oh and yesterday a drunk man ran into our car with his bike! We were about 20 feet away street contacting! He jumped up and took off! We didn’t know what to do, we ran over, but he was gone to quick to do anything! Now our car has no side mirror and a big gash down the side! haha It’s ridiculous!!! It’s been a crazy, but great week!! I love my mission so much!! It is such a crazy, amazing experience!!!

Oh and finally I’ve been making homemade fries almost everyday! We usually don’t have time for supper, so we make fries before bed, while we make our calls. It is great!! We have almost gone through a 50 pound bag of potatoes this transfer! haha And our kitchen is now a grease pit! hahaha Life is great! I’m healthy and loving everyday!! I love and miss you all a ton! Stay healthy and safe!!

Love Elder Smith

ZONE LEADER CONFERENCE WITH ELDER SYBROWSKY

Hey!!

Thank you so much for the great pics and emails!! I loved it all!! Payt, I feel horrible for you!! It sounds horrible to do that traction thing!! I’m glad that you are handling it like a champ though!! I’m sure when I get home there will be no squirrels left in IF! haha I love the green cast and I’m sure the ladies do to! The Jeep looks soooooooo good!! hahaha I’m so jealous!! Those rims are so nice!! Hang in there and before you know it you’ll be healthy again and out doing cookies in the Jeep!! Don’t roll it!!

So this week was insane!! The birthday with Akon, Belatu and the Baronins was the best and I recorded videos on my camera that I’ll send home soon! It was an amazing night and such a blast!! Then the week got crazy!! We had Zone Leader Council where all the zone leaders come and have a meeting with President and the Assistants. I was pretty nervous because I am the youngest and one of the new zone leaders, but it went really well! I love President and Sister Paulson!! President loves to make fun of people and make them feel dumb, haha so you watch what you say!! Everyone talks about how the zone leaders get burned and made fun of in ZLC but I made the whole thing without getting it, until it was over and President started talking about his beloved BYU Cougars! I told him they will always let ya down and he got a little fired up! haha He’s so funny and it was a lot of fun!

Then we set a date with an amazing lady named Celia! She is so good and friends with one of the recent converts that Elder Willardson baptized! She is great and will be baptized in November!

The week was going well and then on Tuesday the madness started!! Elder Sybrowsky of the Seventy came for Zone Conference. Check out his picture in the Ensign and know that he is 10 times scarier then he looks!! He wanted a meeting with just the zone leaders, assistants and President Paulson before the Zone Conference!! We were told to report on what we thought the strengths and weaknesses of the mission were. We got in there and I knew it wasn’t gonna be good. He called out Elder Felix (one of the assistants) for conducting wrong, right there on the spot! Then he asked us questions and tore into us with how we should be baptizing a lot more then we are in this mission! He told us that right now in the mission 1 missionary baptizes on avg. 1.2 times a year. Then he asked us questions we didn’t know the answers too and made us feel dumb! haha He was relentless to all of us, President included!! Then it was time for zone conference!! We had prepared a little portion, but we changed it during the hymn, so that we talked about baptism! hahaha Because he talked about how we are here to baptize and our mission’s focus was in the wrong place. Elder Ewell and Elder Davidson changed their portion too! It was funny because we all said “baptism” a ton. After our portions he called us up for public humiliation!! He went over, again, what he had said in the leadership meeting before, then broke us up into zones and told us to figure out a goal for how many we will baptize. The whole time he is asking us hard questions and making us look stupid in front of everyone! haha One of the funny ones was he asked Elder Ewell a question and Elder Ewell didn’t know the answer so he answered it by asking a question, hahaha Elder Sybrowsky said, “What are you a Jew!? We are Mormons here! When we get asked a question, we answer it. We don’t answer with a question!” hahah I laughed pretty hard, but wanted to cry a little because I knew he’d come back over to take some more shots at me and Elder Leonard. He asked me in front of everyone what my purpose as a zone leader was and I gave what I thought was a pretty good answer with something about helping missionaries fulfill their missionary purpose, and he said, “No. stop beating around the bush! You are to help your zone baptize!! haha I should’ve guessed! By the end of the day, if anyone asked me anything I replied by saying, BAPTIZE!” haha It was super scary and super humbling, but I learned a ton!! The stuff he said was what I think a lot of the missionaries needed! I don’t know how I feel about the way he went about it, but what do I know, He’s the Seventy! And he was pretty funny!! It was neat too because I had a good little chat with him after. He’s a great man! But very bold!! And anyway not many people can say they have been called out and made fun of by a general authority, in front of half of the Canada Winnipeg Mission. Me and the other zone leaders can say we have had that privilege! It was funny too because we all came away with some fire! We are setting baptismal dates on people’s door steps now! It’s been frustrating because we have all of these meetings now!

Oh, also we had Stake Coordination a bit back where we accounted for all of the recent converts and ward mission leaders to President Paulson and Stake President Robison. President Robison is the Stake President for all of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. I was way nervous for that one too, but it went well! Oh and get this! President Robison’s son is serving in the Pocatello Idaho mission!! Look him up!! I think he’s in Blackfoot!! But it’s hard to keep our area going the way we want it with all of the busy work stuff and meetings!! It’s kinda crazy, but the area still is doing alright!! We are finding lots of great people and there are lots of good things happening!! I really love helping other missionaries too! We do a ton of exchanges and it’s neat to give advice and training and see missionaries apply it!!

I am loving everyday, but its ridiculous how fast it is going!! I feel like I haven’t had time to even think since I was in Selkirk, walking a couple minutes between doors! hahaha In this area I can jump from door to door! Things are so good and I’m learning a ton!! Thank you so much again for the great birthday stuff!! You are all amazing!! And yes, you can give my email to people you think I want to talk too, it’s allowed. Also, I will find our address for the apartment! We see the Assistants a ton though, so I get stuff fast, if you send it to the office.

Payton, keep your head up and get feeling better!! I love you a ton and I’m so proud of you!! I love you guys all a bunch and I’ll talk to you Monday, probably.

(: Love Elder Smith

CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING! FAREWELL TO FAVORITE ELDERS

Hey, sounds like a lame week!! First off, thank you so much for all of the stuff for my birthday! You are all amazing! Mom, I loved it all and I look good in the Grizz stuff!! Grandma and Gpa, thank you so much for the tie and toffee and everything! You are so great! Papa and Grammy, thanks a ton for the great card and the American money! I love and miss you guys a ton!!

So I’ve been thinking a lot about what I could say to cheer Payt up...... I figured I’d give you the update of my week and then do my best with some advice!

The week started out rough with 16 appointments falling through, in the first 3 days! It was so ridiculous! I felt like ALL the investigators here aren’t too solid! And we spend so much time doing Zone Leader busy work. It definitely was a little frustrating!! I was pretty upset and kinda mad about the whole situation. . .But we just took it with a smile and figured it was what was supposed to happen because we HAD been working our tails off. We just kept tracting and working hard. So, the end of the week rolls around and Elder Willardson, Randal, Schulte, Eyres, Yorgoson, and a couple others were all going home. We somehow found an investigator that wanted to go hear them speak at their ‘farewell’ testimony meeting. It was an amazing night!! Akon was there, Belatu was there, and the Spirit was so strong as they bore their testimonies! Conference came and it was another great 2 days! I learned and grew so much!! And out of nowhere, a couple of investigators we had found that week showed up for conference! Then, we got a call Saturday night that there was a man that wanted to go to priesthood, who is in our area. He showed up and he loved it! We invited him the next day and he came for both sessions! He was just soaking everything in!! After the session, he set a baptismal date with us, right there in the chapel! That night we met with him and we felt that we should go through the baptismal interview questions. And he said he will live everything! After our lesson we had him say the prayer and he broke down crying. He said a beautiful prayer and we are meeting with him four times a week until his date on Nov. 7th, and it might get moved up! His name is Keri and he is great!

Also at conference, Chris and Karl, and a ton of the Selkirk members came to the same chapel we where in!! It was so great to see them and it was such a great week!! Also at the Priesthood Session I spotted Devin Munk in the choir, with a ton of other missionaries! haha It honestly turned into an amazing week!!

Tonight I got permission to say good bye to Belatu and Akon since I got rushed out and Sister Baronins, Akon, and Belatu have a big birthday party/family home evening planned for me tonight! Because Mom told them it was my birthday. I love my mission so much!! I’ve learned that life is so full of ups and downs, but if we let the downs get us down then our faith slacks, and our effectiveness, success, and happiness decrease! It’s funny because no matter what we do, we will always have downs! But if handled in the right way we will get through them, learn from them, and enjoy the happiness that comes after, in the up, that much more!

Payton, I know that you are feeling horrible right now! It’s the worst!! But the great thing about it is, there will be an up, soon enough!! Payton, I love you and look up to you so much! You are such a champ and a star athlete!! I know that you will handle this situation like a pro! But I figured I’d give you some advice on some things that I wished I would have done when I was down and out!! First off, learn from it! haha It’s a great time to learn patience and how to really be tough! hahahaha That one’s kind of a joke because I know how frustrated you are with the whole thing, but love everyday!! Don’t be upset and turn away girls that want to come and comfort you! As a matter of fact, when ever they call, say that you really think a Jamba Juice or a hamburger would really help with the healing process! Also, enjoy the time off school! Milk it for all it’s worth with the teachers!! Don’t text while on pain killers! Eat as many of Mom’s cookies as you can!! Also, don’t let Berg tell you that you can play with one arm and then try to finish out the season! hahaha Payt I feel so bad because I know how frustrated you feel! I know that it is so upsetting and I know how miserable you feel! Actually, to be honest, I don’t because your injury sounds a lot worst... But I can imagine! But don’t get down! Keep your head up and love everyday! It’s funny because I look back and football was everything to me but I look at things today and I have such a different perspective!! Football is so great! I loved it and I learned so much from it, but the last year of my life has meant more to me than any football game or football season!

Today I talked to a brand new missionary in our zone that is super homesick and he really wants to go home and it made me think a ton!! It was hard to know what to say to him because I wanted to say so much!! It really helped me to realize what a great blessing a mission is!! I have been so blessed and had so many life changing experiences! I love the people here and my mission so much!!! And it’s funny because I don’t know if I would have gotten this much out of my mission so far if it wasn’t for the trials that I went through when I was home! When I messed up my shoulder, it helped me to switch my focus to preparing for a mission and life! Now I’m not saying you wouldn’t have been ready for a mission if you hadn’t messed up your arm, but I know that we all face so many trials in our life and if we react to them negatively, they can really slow down our progression. But as we humble ourselves and come unto Christ, and live the gospel through our trials, it truly can bless us and help in our progression. Trials are so great because they really are opportunities for growth!!

Payton, I love you so much and I’m so grateful for you example to me!! Love everyday! Stay positive! Milk your situation as long as you can, haha and learn and grow from it!! Buddy I love you so much and I’m so excited for what is to come in your life!! Don’t get down though!!

Love you all! Love Elder smith!

CHANDLER'S 20TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

(Email from Sister Baronins sharing the details of the Family Home Evening/Birthday Party she, Akon, and Belatu threw for Chan)

Hi Kris,

Here are the photos from last night. You may not recognize the Filipino gentlemen in the group shot. He's a man in our ward named Bro. Rico (your son may have mentioned him to you before) He's such a good man! Bro. Rico drives so many downtown families to and from church on a regular basis. His van is jokingly referred to as the "Rico Bus" by ward members and missionaries alike.

Once again we would like you and your family to know how grateful we are to know your son and have him serve among us. He's truly been a blessing to the Canada Winnipeg Mission and the people whom he has taught and will continue to teach.

All the best!

Love

Chris and Rocky Baronins

P.S. I forgot to mention this last night but Elder Smith also went home with Birthday Apple Pie. I didn't cook it and sent them off with instructions so they could cook it fresh when they wanted it. He was very grateful to get the pie and shared the fact that having the pie made it feel like it was truly his birthday.