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.

TRANSFERED A WEEK EARLY TO BE ZL IN NORTH DOWNTOWN

Belatu, Bishop & Sister Baronins, Akon

Elder Leonard, Elder Smith, Elder Willardson

Belatu's Baptism

Hey!!

Payt, keep your head up! You’re gonna have bad games! It happens! If you get down about it it’ll just mess you up!! Just stay positive and get a couple pick 6’s in the dome!! Dad, you are the greatest! Sorry about your tough cases! Just so you know, whenever we were down after games you always handled it perfectly! You are amazing!! Mom, you too!! Payt’s real problem is that he can’t enjoy the losses because he doesn’t like apple pie enough!! haha I learned to enjoy losing because apple pie usually followed! Addison, thank you soooo much for your email!! i love and miss you so much!!! I love and miss all of you so much! Tell A-rod to write me!!!

So this week was so crazy!! It started out great. . . great lessons, everything going good and then get this!! I get a call from President on Wednesday! Elder Felix was called as the new assistant and so I got my transfer call a week early! I am now a zone leader serving with Elder Leonard in the north end of downtown! Right above Agnes! It was so crazy and depressing though because I got the call at 9:30 Wednesday night, and I had to be packed and ready to go by 8 the next morning. I got packed and ready and we left for Dauphin to do a baptismal interview!! We drove all morning on Thursday and right when we got there, Elder Leonard said that I was doing the interview. So I hopped out and walked into the branch building and started the interview. The man, Brent had a super solid testimony but I ended up finding out that he had slipped up with Word of Wisdom problems the night before!! So I had to teach the Word of Wisdom and help him understand that he couldn’t get baptized until he was living it! So I was in with him for about an hour and 15 minutes and then I had to break the news to the missionaries! They are really good, but really young and not a whole lot of experience. Brent really just didn’t understand the Word of Wisdom, but he is way good and if he is clean for 2 weeks, we will go back up for another interview! So then that night we went on exchange in Dauphin! It is a beautiful city and it was a blast! The next morning we drove all the way home and on the drive it started to set in that I had left my favorite ward ever without talking to anyone! I was as Agnes sick as I was homesick in the MTC. It’s been hard because I miss them all soo much! But President is letting me go on a day exchange next week to teach everybody one more time!!

I got back to find out that this area is dead! They had some baptisms a month or so back but since then nothing is going. So it will be fun to build it up! Hopefully all goes well! I’m way excited to serve with Elder Leonard again! He’s great!! So we had a rough Friday and then Belatu and Jr. (the assistants investigator that I interviewed) got baptized! Elder Skinner baptized Belatu and he was way nervous but it went soooo great! It was a great day!! She’s so prepared and she will be an amazing member!!! It was a great day!! I love her and her kids so much!! They are amazing!! She is a big fashion buff and she had both her kids dressed in all white! Then after her baptism, she came out looking great with all kinds of fancy, flashy clothes on!! Every week at church the Relief Society attacks her to ask her were she gets all her stuff! haha She is so great and will be an amazing member!! Also this Saturday Sarah Anderson got baptized in Selkirk!! Elder Platt is still tearing it up up there and Lauren gets baptized after conference! Both people me and Elder Platt found and were teaching! Sarah was in a family that her mom asked for her records to be removed! We started teaching Sarah, who is 11 or 12 and her mom’s heart softened a ton and she set a date right before I left!! I guess since then Sarah’s mom and grandparents have come back to church because of her! she is amazing and it is so neat the impact she is having on her family!! Lauren is a little crazy, but it’s exciting to hear that he’s getting baptized soon too!! And get this!!! Elder Platt is now a district leader in Agnes!!! hahahahahaha He’s only had me as a companion and one jr. companion! He is a champ and I’m sure he will keep the work moving there! Oh and get this!! Karl is now a primary teacher in the Selkirk Branch and he is super solid!!! I am going to call and talk to him tonight!! I’m sure you will hear about it next week! It’s funny because once again I have that homesick gut ache feeling because I don’t know this area or the members and I miss Agnes and Selkirk sooo bad!!! This ward I’m in is the most disfunctional ward in the city! It is full of needy people. There were 75 people at church on Sunday and 8 of them were missionaries and a lot of the people that came are struggling. There are only a couple solid members. Elder Leonard says that it feels the same as when he trained a new missionary. haha You don’t expect a whole lot from them, but when they do do something good you are like wow, I didn’t expect that, that was pretty good! haha It would be so great to find some solid kingdom builders for this ward because they could really use it!! I’m sad because I miss so many people so much, but I’m super excited to take it on!! Hopefully we can get some good things going!!

Oh and zone leader is definitely not my favorite thing. More dumb missionaries to deal with and more lost time with busy work! But I’m way excited and hopefully we will do a good job with things!! We have some exciting fun ideas for some of the training and I love working one on one with other missionaries because it’s neat to see that you have helped! Oh and get this.. I forgot to tell you that we had 0 people to church this week in Tyndal! I haven’t had that in a while and it stung pretty bad!! I was glad I had excuses, but hopefully we get people next week because I won’t have any!

But I’m doing great and things are crazy! I haven’t even told Akon that I’m gone yet so that’ll be fun??? Belatu was sad, but happy that I’m going next week so she can feed me and they know I’m not far!! I’m loving everyday and things are great!! It’s weird to be with a missionary that knows a ton! I’m not used to teaching with someone older than me! It’s way different because I’ve been with new missionaries that you kinda have to set up so they know where you want them to go with it. haha It’s been way fun and weird though!! It should be a fun transfer! Oh, and President Paulson said that I will probably be here for two transfers. So that’s good because I can settle in and know I won’t bounce around for a bit! Sorry I’m all over the place, haha I just have said what I remember as it comes!! Payt, glad you like the sweatshirt. I wrote you a letter, but it still isn’t sent yet. I’ll try and do it today! I love you guys so much!! Have a great week!!

Love Elder Smith

P.S.

Oh, thanks again for the great pictures!! Can you get me an update on Landon and Matt!? Oh and get this! Elders Willardson, Schulte, Randall, Scott, and a bunch of others all go home on Thursday!!! If you can go to Utah to hear homecomings Elder Willardson or Schulte’s will be sooooo good! They are amazing! It will be so sad to have them gone!

HUMILITY IS A CHRISTLIKE ATTRIBUTE

Ok this is ridiculous!! Man, I can’t believe that! aaahhhh! I don’t know what to even say because all the words that come to my head are extremely undignified!! Man, I just wanna have a couple minutes with that ref!! And man, the coaches have some serious guts to put THAT on the jerseys! That’s like so risky! haha Like man, I don’t even know what to say about that! They complained about new jerseys forever and then they go and buy ones that say ‘BEAT I.F.’ That’s insane!!! hahahaha What a gutsy, crazy, ridiculous idea!! WOW!! Payt, you are a champ! Don’t stress the P.I. calls!! You’re just bigger now, so you can’t get away with what you used to! hahah Just kidding, love ya buddy! And I know it stings!@! Good news is that you will have a great story for years to come! I love you guys! Dad I know you probably haven’t slept the greatest the last couple nights, but live it up the next couple weeks because the season will be over before you know it!! I love getting your emails because you guys sugar coat everything, but I know how the mood of the house has probably been the last couple days!! hahaha Good times!! Live ‘em up because you’ll miss um!

So this week was crazy! My email might be shorter than usual because I just had an interesting experience. A girl from the ward, that has been less active lately, just walked up to me in the library and just kind of bore her soul to me! She came out and said she hasn’t been coming to church and her family is going through some tuff stuff lately. It amazes me that as a missionary people just trust you and feel that they can rely on you! This girl, I’m sure is pretty popular at school and not at all the type to go up to someone she doesn’t really know and tell them she has had struggles and isn’t reading or praying or going to church. I was very caught of guard, at first, but then just taught her like an investigator. We talked for about 15 minutes and she is going to have us come talk to her. It’s funny how much I’ve changed with situations like this. It really was a humbling experience for me!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY SO MUCH!! I have had so many amazing experiences!

This week was crazy great and bad!! Belatu had her interview and passed with flying colors! The same night I interviewed one of the assistants investigators for baptism!! They have taught him for 4.5 months and he is like the only investigator they have because they don’t get to work their area much!! He was a great kid, but it was a very interesting interview! It lasted 2 hours! He is a super deep thinker and he had a couple concerns that hadn’t come out before! I was pretty nervous through it, but it ended up being a great experience in the end! He passed and he will be baptized with Belatu on Saturday! Being a missionary is such a weird thing!! I can’t believe that the Lord puts so much trust in 19 year old kids!! I feel so unworthy and incapable of so many of the things I am asked to do, but somehow they get done! I truly have been so blessed and the Lord plays such a huge part! It is such a neat thing when you truly feel that you are being an instrument in the Lord’s hands!! I love being a missionary so much!! It is such an amazing thing!! Belatu is amazing!! She hasn’t missed a day of church since we found her the first week of this transfer and she reads and prays everyday!! She speaks English great, but just reads pretty good. But she is almost to 2nd Nephi!! Every word she doesn’t understand, she looks up for the translation!! She has such a solid testimony and she is such an amazing lady!! We had a lot of wonderful experiences this week with finding new amazing people and we had some great lessons! We set a date with a lady named Molme in the first lesson. She was a referral from Juliet and she is so good! She and her son both made it to church!! Akon is amazing and has such a strong testimony, but she is facing so much opposition!! Mequer was so excited about what we taught him this week (he’s 6-ish) that he told his dad the whole Joseph Smith story over the phone. This led to them not being aloud to go to church again! We got a call late Saturday night and it was pretty devastating! Gabriel showed up for church and was wondering where Akon was. When he heard, he was mad! He called and got a meeting set up with Daniel and some others from the tribe. He received the Priesthood on Sunday, Bishop Baronins gave him a beautiful blessing. Then he went home and started up the meeting! We still haven’t heard anything about what is going to happen. We’ve decided that Gabriel is the supreme optimist! You punch the guy in the face and he will smile and say “That’s ok, I could have gotten hit harder”. hahah He is amazing and eventually he will get Akon baptized. We had an amazing lesson with Akon and Gabriel and Elder Willardson were there! We ate amazing food and Akon and the kids remember everything we have taught them! They all still have a strong desire to be baptized! They are so amazing, it is just Daniel that is messing everything up!! We have taught a couple people from Gabriel’s list and they are Sudanese and great! But they have needs, just like everyone, so there won’t be any mass baptisms. But we will definitely have many people to teach and I would imagine many baptisms will come. We will just have to be patient and pray that people with vans move into the ward!!

This transfer has been so scary because every transfer goes faster and faster! I just got here and transfer calls are next week!! It is so insane! I hate how there is no time! There just isn’t enough time in the day! I love it her so much!! Things are going so great!!

Payt, I’m sorry about the loss! I guess it goes to show that humility is a Christlike attribute and as we are humble, things usually work out for us! I guess you could try teaching that principle to Berg to make sure he doesn’t make jerseys for next week! Let me know how that goes, it can be your missionary moment for the week! hahaa Cheer up though and just win the rest of the games and the Emotion Bowl won’t sting so much!! Have a great week and a great Birthday!! Buddy, I love you so much and I can’t believe you are so old! It’s insane!! Have a great week and let me know if you get your package!! I love you guys sooo much!

Love Elder Smith!!

OPPOSITION CONTINUES TO FOLLOW AKON

Hey, it’s me again!

Man I loved the pictures this week!! Marisa ehh!? haha That’s great! She is a ton of fun!! She hung out with Heather a lot and acts a lot like Heather, so I bet the dance was soooooo fun! haha Congrats on having another great week!! I hope you know that I taught you everything you know!! It’s not fair because we were always close to the same level, but you got 2 years longer to play than me! I hope you get fat and outa shape on your mission so i can take you when you get home! haha I wouldn’t touch you now though kid!! You’re huge!!! And looking super good!! Mom and Dad you’re amazing!! Dad, you deserve two Eagle Scout awards and you don’t even have one!! I think that’s pretty funny!

That’s so exciting that Justin’s gone and I am so happy that Conner is going!! Man, it’s so weird that it is fall again!! Crazy stuff!! Oh so what’s the deal with you resigning from the Booster club!?!? Fill me in!!

Well, this week was great, but kinda frustrating!! We had a 3-day training meeting because they made new stuff to add on to Preach My Gospel! It‘s really great stuff but loosing 3 days and sitting drove me crazy!! The stuff we learned is so great though!! it was all focused around relying on the Spirit more!! It is such good stuff and stuff that I’m sure will help me a ton on my mission and in life! I got a letter from Grandpa and Grandma again and tell them I love their letters but they have got to stop sending me so much money! They are amazing!! If you could please give me the update on them and Papa and Grammy and everybody else in the family!! I really don’t have time to write letters but I have plenty of time to read emails on p-day! I’d really like to here from Uncle Doug if he could sent me an email!! Thanks!

So this week was pretty good! It started out super rocky because we went to see Akon and she had a friend that was not nice at all! She was a born again and really anti! I was super nervous because Akon didn’t say much and I was worried where her testimony was! We left really down! I got home and I just wanted to call somebody and have them comfort me. But there was nobody to call so I called Akon. We had a great chat and she apologized for her friend and she still has a super solid testimony! It was so great!! I love her so much!! She made it to church for the first time in months and she and the kids looked amazing!! We have Family Home Evening with her and Belatus family tonight!! Akon is amazing and so is Belatu and their kids are so well behaved!! Their kids are like Aunt Jill’s kids, except even more obedient! haha If Akon or Belatu ask them to do anything, they don’t think twice!

This week should be a crazy one! Elder Willardson is our Zone Leader so we are gonna go on exchange and take it on like old times! haha We hope to set a date with Akon! And get this! Elder Willardson goes home on the 29th of this month!! Sooooo scary, sad and crazy!! I will miss him a ton!! You should totally hit his homecoming if you can! Also, Belatus’ interview is this next Saturday!! She is so ready, but I’m way nervous! It just seems so fast!! We found her my first week here and she gets interviewed next week!! It’s the first time I will have seen everything start to finish in one transfer! She is such an amazing woman and mother and she has a great testimony!! Hopefully all goes well! Keep her in your prayers, please! Even though I know you already do!

So as far as Gabriel and his referrals. . . . . He had to work all week! Even sunday! He is trying to quit his job, but he can’t find another one. He is still working as an undercover cop and it’s crazy!! We saw him the other day on the job in downtown! haha He had his pistol on his side and the phone in his ear. haha He is so funny and I love him to death!! We decided against teaching everyone together because some of them aren’t in our area, so we are just gonna teach one at a time!! It’s amazing how tight knit the Sudan community is here!!! They all know each other and everyone knows Akon or Gabriel! They are like the high ups in the community because they have been here the longest! It’s so crazy!!!

Because of all of the growth downtown, the bishop had a big 2 hour correlation meeting this week with the ward! They just can’t keep getting rides every week with the way that it’s being done now!! We are having to find 20+ rides to church every week. So Bishop has some great plans for downtown that I’m way excited about!! The Baronins are amazing! They have plans to rent a building downtown and do an outreach program for downtown!! They have all kinds of neat ideas and things to try and convince the Stake to set up a branch downtown!! It’s all very exciting!! haha The ward has a real love/hate relationship with the missionaries because there is so much good stuff happening. But it means a lot of work for the ward!! There are some amazing members here though and they just want ‘em to keep coming!! It’s so great! I just worry that people are being forgotten because of the fast growth!

Hopefully all goes well, but my times about up! I love you all so much!! Payt keep tearing it up!! Hopefully next week the goal posts will be blue and Belatu will be set for baptism!! I love you all so much!! Have a great week!! Love you a ton!!

Love Elder Smith!!!

THE DROUGHT IS OVER, THE SNAKE LEFT THE VILLAGE, THE TRIBE CAN BE TAUGHT!

Belatu and Elder Skinner at the Waverly Ward Picnic

Friends and Fam!

What a crazy week!! haha I don’t know what to start with! First off, Payt you are a champ! That’s so neat that you made the paper! Can you send it to me??? Mom and Dad, you are the greatest!! Thanks a ton for the great emails!!

So this past week has been so crazy!! District meeting last Tuesday went super good, but then today’s I wasn’t too happy with! I think I got a little cocky because of how well last weeks went and I kinda stuffed this week! I have a super teachable district with the exception of one companionship and that companionship is a pain!! haha But I’m working with them the best I can. It’s hard to see them waste so much time!

So Belatu is amazing!!! We taught her the Word of Wisdom this week and she took it great! She is so good!! I love her and her kids so much!! She will get baptized the end of this month!

Funny story... The Baronins had us over for a Fast Sunday meal and we got stuffed! Then we went to Belatus’ with the Baronins to teach and Belatu had a huge Sudanese meal for us!! It was amazing!!! We were all so sick after forcing 2 meals down!! I want to marry a woman from Sudan though!! They are so amazing!! Her food was so good and different and spicy! Oh man, I can’t wait till you get to try some when you come here! Belatu fed us twice this week! I died and went to heaven! haha I have learned so much about their culture! It’s so crazy! Belatu left because her husband took another wife! They still buy their wives like on Johnny Lingo!! Akon was a 150 cow wife! 80 is avgerage. I don’t know how many Belatu was bought for, but Gabriel told us probably a lot. It is so crazy! Belatu was forced into marriage when she was 14 and so she is only 22! I thought she was in her 30’s because she is so mature!! She and her mom left Sudan because of the messed up situation! A lot of the men there are just ‘piles’ and they make the women do everything!! Even Gabriel said he doesn’t like his culture because the men are so lazy!! Belatu is accepting everything and she is so amazing!! She is starting school this week and she is so smart! She is way professional too! She has her blackberry and she speaks great English and knows 3 other languages! You would never think that she has the background that she does!

Akon still isn’t home, but hopefully today is the day! They have been having these huge meetings over the phone with a ton of people in Canada from the tribe, some in North Dakota and Daniel in Texas and the rest in Sudan! This week the tribe ok'd the church and so according to Gabriel they can be taught now!! He showed us a sheet with 25 names, addresses, and phone numbers and said that all of them have families and all of them need to be taught. This week we are supposed to teach all of these people in groups of 25 and honestly I don’t know that I can believe Gabriel!! It sounds sooo unreal!! I guess I will let you know next week if we end up teaching all of these people. haha - good luck finding ‘em all rides to church! It’s crazy though because this tribe is so tight knit!! I like honestly can’t believe all of the crazy stuff that is happening here! We are already busy out of our mind and we have such a struggle getting rides for people to church. We are having to tell a lot of our investigators to take a bus and it makes it hard on them!!

We have so many solid people to teach, but there are a lot of, not so solid people too. The other day we had 7 people in one day stand us up but we still taught some lessons. It’s crazy! Gabriel said that his tribe has no religious background at all. That’s why some crazy stuff happens!! He said that Akon has been teaching them over the phone because she knows so much! She is so amazing and I can’t wait to see her! They have 2 copies of the Book of Mormon that made it to Sudan and with Akon teaching them they have been having their own little church service once a week! This last week they were in a big drought and there was a big snake in the village! Gabriel said they prayed and the snake left and it rained! Insane!! That was what sealed the deal for the tribe here to start getting taught!! These stories are like a dream, like there crazy!@!!! You can’t even find this stuff in the Ensign!!! Man, missions are the greatest!!!! I love it soooo much!! I wanna put in papers now and see if I can serve another 2 years in Sudan!! haha But I will let you know how the week goes! I honestly still find all of this unreal. Like Gabriel was telling us all this and showing us the names and we didn’t react because it’s so hard to believe! It’s crazy!! Gabriel is amazing too! This week he helped us a ton because anyone we can’t teach, he can because he knows so many different languages!!

We teach Belatu tonight and we are teaching tithing! It’s the only bigger commandment that we haven’t taught yet!! I love going to her house so much!! This week we also had a ward picnic and her and the kids went and loved it!! Of course Sister Baronins was in charge and it was a success!! She is a party thrower, for sure! She is always trying to break her record of the # of people at her church parties! She and Bishop remind me a lot of you Mom and Dad because they know how to throw a party!!

I went in to pay my speeding ticket this week! t was $240, but I talked to one of the judge people here. Their system is crazy, but it took an hour to talk to them and pay the ticket and, get this, haha I talked to them and explained that I was a missionary and was lost and I’m bad with mile to kilometer swap and all the other excuses I could think of. They cut the ticket in half! haha So I guess $120 is better then $240! That made me happy and I guess I still kinda got it with talking my way outa tickets! haha To celebrate before we went teaching with Pious the next night, I bought him some Mexican food! He loves his Mexican food ever since I introduced him to it!! haha

It was a great week! There is so much that I want to tell you but I have no time! We found a new family of 10 and we teach them in 15! They are amazing and yes, they are African!! Africans are the best!! They just met us yesterday and they had us right in and gave us Cokes. Oh, and Africans love Coke! Especially Gabriel!! After they taught him about the Word of Wisdom, he quite coffee and tea and now he is a Coke addict.

Man, I love the people here so much! There isn’t enough time in the day!! Everything is so great and we are being so blessed!! I love you all so much!! Stay safe and smart!! Payt, my lucky blue tie will be on Friday!! Keep me updated and let me know the day the games are, if they aren’t Friday, so I can wear it at the right time!! Tear it up! I love you all so much!! Love Elder Smith!!

Gabriel is Amazing!

Hey Friends and Fam!

Another crazy week!! Thank you so much for the email! Payt congrats (on the Hillcrest Game)!!! Man, your a senior! That’s sooo messed up!!! I feel like I just left, and I’m still getting updates from the junior year football games! It’s soooo scary how fast this last year has gone!! You can’t be a senior and you can’t be more ripped than me!! This is dumb! haha haha Mom and Dad thank you so much for your great emails too!! Sounds like all is well in River City!! haha

So this week was honestly the fastest week of my life!!! It’s sooo crazy how the weeks keep clicken’ by!! So first off, I got to do a baptismal interview and it was so neat!! I interviewed a young man named Kerry. He is in Y.S.A. (Young Special Interest) and he has been taught by Elder Willardson and Elder Ewell! He was so nervous for his interview!! It was such neat experience though!! He was definitely ready!! It’s so amazing that people my age and older look up to me so much, because I am a missionary!! Serving a mission is such a great blessing!! I have gotten to see so many amazing things!! But that was so neat and the rest of the week was pretty crazy!! We are teaching a lady named Belatu and she is so great!! We found her my first week back to Agnes and she has been to church the last 2 weeks with her kids!! She is amazing and she set a baptismal date for the 24th of September!! I love her and her kids so much and get this! She’s from Sudan, too! haha She is amazing though and this Sunday the Baronins had her and us all over for supper!! The Baronins are so great!!

District meeting this week went really good!!! I finally feel comfortable with how I want to teach them and now they are a lot of fun!! I did a neat object lesson and it worked out really good!! I am so tired all the time though. I’m glad I got used to not a ton of sleep back home! Because the district is pretty big and there is a ton of stuff to talk with them on the phone calls at night!! It’s way fun and I really feel like I am helping, but I don’t get off the phone with them and the zone leaders until 10:30 and then I have to get ready for bed and then back up again at 6:30. It’s hard because I don’t have the time to study before bed, that I used to. But, it’s been a great experience to try and help people in the district! I love the way things are and I wish they could just stay that way!!! I love where I am and the people I’m serving around so much!! I wish I could have the same love for everyone that I have for Akon and Belatu and the other great people that I have taught. I’m working on it, but man I love the people here so much!!

So, crazy story this week!! We had an appointment with Gabriel and we went over to his place and he was running across the street looking all scared and he told us to have the bishop call him, fast!! We end up going in with him and he told us what was going on! He had a cousin in Regina in a bind with bad stuff so Gabriel and another member of his tribe borrowed money from another Sudanese tribe so that they could buy out their cousin’s apartment in Regina. Gabriel thought he had enough to pay them off with his upcoming paycheck so he went and paid for repairs on Akon’s van and he paid his rent! Without Gabriel knowing, his tribe and this other tribe have a conflict in Africa and so the tribe went after Gabriel for the money! He didn’t have it, so they get in a little brawl with Gabriel and his uncle. Gabriel’s uncle got his eye pretty bashed up and Gabriel has a bruise on his neck!! While Gabriel was telling us this he was really shaken up, which was super scary because Gabriel is an under cover cop and he has some crazy stories already! But he said he couldn’t go to the cops because he was in the wrong and he owed money, so he called Bishop Baronins and Bishop came and wrote a $475 check on the spot to help get Gabriel out of the hole! So Gabriel gave them the check and all is well! haha But Gabriel couldn’t go to the tribe for money, because he helped the man in Regina against Daniel’s will (Akon’s husband). There meeting about the church was that very night!! So Bishop helped him out and the meeting about the church went through that night until 5 in the morning! Akon in north dakota, Daniel in Texas and Gabriel and part of the tribe in Canada and the rest of the tribe in Africa, were all on the line!! Gabriel said that the meeting went good but Daniel is still against it!! Everyone else is for it, but Daniel, and he is the oldest brother and kind of the head honcho!! It’s all so crazy and it sounds unreal!!

Gabriel gave us a list of the people that want to learn more from his tribe here in canada and there are 25 names!! All of the names are just heads of households!! A lot of them have families!! It’s hard to get one referral in Canada from a member, let alone 25 families! Gabriel is second oldest and he seems kinda like the rebel who doesn’t play by the tribe’s rules because he got baptized and he’s trying to convert all of these other people!! Man it’s insane!!!! haha Like it’s hard to believe all this stuff, but I’ve seen a lot of it happen myself, and it’s so crazy!! Gabriel has been helping us teach a ton of people though!! He’s so great!! But Akon still isn’t home!! She has to get back within the next week because school starts and with Gabriel and her both here I think some crazy stuff is gonna happen!! Because they both are trying really hard to get their tribe on board with the church!! I cant wait to see her and the kids again!! I’m happy, healthy, and safe!! I am just gonna definitely NOT borrow any money from people from Sudan!!

Church was great! Tons of people came again, but I don’t know what to do because we don’t have enough rides to get everyone there! Bishop Baronin’s asked for a downtown branch and his request is going up the ranks. We will see what happens!! Life is so great but so crazy! I love it!! If Daniel cracks, I think we will have a ton of baptisms here!! Oh, and Akon has told the whole tribe that Mom and her are close family friends!! Akon is amazing! Mom, you are amazing!! haha It’s so weird to know that people in Sudan listen in and hear about the missionaries and there family, that are their family friends. haha Crazy stuff! haha But Payt, don’t get your Eagle!! It’s a crazy cult you don’t want to be a part of!!! hahahaha Just kidding! Just get it done so you don’t have to worry about it!! Tell Heather hello and sorry that I haven’t written back for forever! Tell everyone you see I’m sorry I haven’t written. I pushed it back and I don’t know if I wanna try and catchup with everybody. I love and miss you all a ton!! Have a great week!!!

Love Elder Smith!

"I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A HUGE, CRAZY, AMAZING DREAM!"

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!!!!