Rexburg is the dream city!

Date: Jul 22, 2013 8:47 AM

Hello!

Everyone is looking great! I am glad you all got to Rexburg safely. Rexburg is the dream city! Nat is still looking super old to me. I hope the graduation goes well.

Well this last week was one of the best on my mission so far. 

First of all, the district president here in Sousa gave us the idea to start an english class. He was an english teacher and has lots of materials and stuff and was willing to help. Well we talked to our branch missin leader and he helped us organize some things and get the word out. We visited some schools to invite students and people signed up through facebook. Well Saturday we had our first class. Until now, all the enlgish classes I have taught have just been like 15 people or less. Well saturday we had around 150 people in the cultural hall wanting to learn english from us! There are all very excited. We are going to divide the classes by their skill levels and it is going to be legit. Next week will be the last chance for people to join. It is a 24 week course and there are some really great people there. I am excited to teach them all english! The members are there as well and will invite the people to church and to learn more about the gospel. We are doing lots of fun activities to find new people and help integrate them with the members. Saturday night we had a talent show. Elder Staheli, a young man and I did the helicopter thing Cort taught me. It was a hit! The members stated shouting, de novo, de novo, de novo! (Again, again, again!) My neck is still hurting but it was definitely worth it.

Also, we have this awesome recent convert who really showed alot of faith. We went to visit him this last week and we noticed a whole new person. His house had a bunch of alcoholic drink bottles and his appearance was a little scragly. This last tuesday when Elder Staheli went to visit him with another missinoary (we were on companion exchanges) he had cleaned his house and cut his hair and shaved and everything! I hardly even recognized him! Where there used to be a bunch of drink bottles, he now has a bible, The Book of Mormon and church pamphlets. It was miraculous. And the great thing of all, is that ever since the first time I went to his house to start teaching him, (we were also on splits that day) he never drank or smoked again. He completely left his old life behind him to follow Christ. It was amazing. He is already well integrated with the ward and the members. Also this week, we taught him about the Sabbath day and taught him that we don't work on sundays. He has been struggling to find work and so we promised him, that he would find a job if he would tell his boss that he can't work sundays and only accept a job that allows him to do that. The very next morning at 8 AM, a man knocked on his dorr and said he had work for him to do. He told him that he would accept but that he can't work on sundays. The boss said that he too doesn't work on sundays and that he wouldn't need to work on sundays. It was a miracle.

I love being a missionary of Jesus Christ. I have lately been trying to lose the habit of saying that I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and instead just saying, I am a missionary of Jesus Christ. 

Well I love you all! I will try to send pictures next week!

Love,

Elder Smith

"I love having a name-tag with the Saviors name..."

Date: Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 7:20 AM

Como é que vocês estão?

Well this week I met our new mission president! He is so great. He was the manager of church maintanence or something here in Brasil and Sister Soares is a psychaiatrist. (wow my spelling skill has taken a turn for the worst) They are super nice people and I can tell they really have a love for us and for missionary work. They both are a little lost because they just got here and hardly know anything about our mission. But I am excited. We now have to do 140 contacts everyweek while reaching the other standard of excellence goals we had. It is exhausting but fun and I love working!

This last week we saw miracles. We have an investigator who literally let go of all the things he was doing wrong and had a strong desire to be better. We taught him the word of wisdom and the law of chastity on monday and that was the last day he had problems with any of those things. I was him becoming happier and happier each day that he was living the gospel of Jesus Christ more fully and I am excited to see the rest of his progress. 

Sadly we had quite a few investigators who got sick this last sunday and so not too many investigators went ot church. Our musicians we are teaching had to play in two shows saturday night and didn't get home until like 7 in the morning and so things didn't work out well. But we are excited for this upcoming week. We can't let distractoins get us down because this is the Lord's work and we need to always be ready to be His instruents here in Sousa! The work of the Lord is truly hastening. I can feel it so much as a missionary. The memebrs are getting more excited and I feel a greater urgency to talk to everyone I see about the restored Gospel I love having a name-tag with the Saviors name and being able to share my testimony that He lives and His church is here on the earth today. I feel like all we have to do as missionaries is be good examples of Christ and speak the truth. Sure people will mock you and say things but that's okay. At least we are doing our part! 

Well I love you all! Have a great week! 

Sorry I ran out of time and didn't even realize!

MIss you all!

-Elder Smith

My new address is:

Missão Brasil Natal

Ave. Interventor Mario Camara No. 2066
Dix-Sept Rosado
Natal, RN
59062-600

Happy fourth of July week!

Date: Mon, Jul 1, 2013 at 7:31 AM

Happy fourth of July week!

Thanks for all the letters. The picture of Kadyn and Mary was really cool. It sounds like they are at the MTC at a pretty exciting time! Our new mission president got here saturday and tommorrow Me and my companion are going to Natal to meet himand his wife! I am way excited. I am sure they are just filled with ''fire in the bones'' after their trainings with the apostles this last week. It is truly a great time to be a missionary.

We have seen some amazing miracles in our area this week. We really didn't get to spend a full day of work in our area until thursday because of companion exchanges and showing new areas to new missionaries but still we were able to get alot of work done. One less-active introduced us to a few of his friends who are really awesome. They are both musicians and they play in a band It was so cool because on sunday, we have a goal to always have at least 3 investigators at sacrament meeting. We were frantically trying to get people to go to  church and it just seemed like no one would go. We walked with a guy named adriano to church and then we contniued to search for people! Well Sacrament meeting started and I was pretty sad. fter I played the sacrament hymn though I looked in the congregation and these two musicians had gotten to church and were there in the congregation. I got so happy! Really I never thought I could feel so happy to see people at church! They are really awesome and we are going to continue working with them and their families.

We are teaching a guy about 28 years old and we went to his house and had a mini-lesson with him. We talked to him about hte Book of Mormon and it was really cool to see his desire to read and learn more. Then my companion asked if he had read and he said yes. Then he asked, did you ask if it was true? and he said yes. Then my companion asked, and what was the answer, and he said, ''the answer was yes''. I felt so good inside. He went to church sunday and has a baptismal date for this sunday.

I am really lovng my area, companion, and everything else about the mission. My companion and I get along really well and it really helps in the work! It1sjust too bad he will be leaving at the end of this month! But I have gained a really strong testimony that everything that happens to us is for our personal growth and well-being.

Our mission is split now! I am no longer a missionary in the João Pessoa mission. I am excited and I know that many great experiences still lie ahead. 

Today for P-Day our district is going to do a fourth of july picnic at the chapel and play some frisbee. I'm sureit won't be as fancy as the picnic's back home but that's alright! The fireworks have already started! although they don't have fireworks specially for the fourth of july, last night Brasil beat Spain 3-0 and the was sure a good number of fireworks going on. It was pretty funny because like right after the sacrament meeting we heard,  ''goooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!'' and a few fireworks went off. It is crazy how when Brasil is playing, there is hardly anyone on the roads. Everyone is at home watching the game! I love the Brazilian culture. 

Well I love you all and miss you lots. Sounds like alot is going back home and I am excited for you all. Natalie will love EFY. I really am happy I went. She is growing up just way too fast!

Well I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Smith

"I have a strong testimony about the elect."

Date: Jun 25, 2013 10:34 AM

Hello family,

Yes there has been lots of riots lately in Brasil. They thought it would just stay in the big cities but incredibly we see a little here too but it is not nearly as bad as it is in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Here it is just like a few people on the streets with pickit signs. It is pretty sad sometimes to hear about these things, but I hope it will clear up soon. 

I am really liking my new area. We are very very busy but I really like being busy. I feel like many good things are happening and I am glad to be a part of it. Tell Mel Happy Birthday! I can't believe she is 30. It's weird to think I have a sister so old. I feel like time is moving back home but my life isn't changing much! I will be 21 this year though and that is pretty weird to think about as well.

This last week I was working with another Elder in the city and we starting talking to a guy that was sitting in like a park thing. After talking a little I realized he was drunk. He told us about his desire to stop drinking and started crying with us. This actually happens alot with us so it wasn't anything new. But I felt that we should get his address and go to his house when he was sober. So later in the week we went there and he accepted us really well. He hadn't forgotten much from the time we contacted him on the street and we set some goals with him including a baptismal date. He is excited and we are too. Sadly we switched areas this week with the sisters and so I won't continue working with him but I am excited to see him progress and I know he will succeed in trying to overcome his drinking habits. The Lord is preparing His children to hear the message of the Restoration. I have a strong testimony about the elect. I know they exist and they are truly being prepared by our Heavenly Father.

Well I hope you all have an awesome week. Thanks for the letters and everything. Thanks for the video Dad! I miss you all alot and I hope everything is going well.

love,

Elder Smith

P.S. Hey if you want anything from Brasil let me know because my companion is heading back at the beginning of August and so if you want anything (bracelets, rings, brazilian flavored juice packets) i can send them with him in a box and it will be very cheap to send. 

"it is stinking hot here!"

Date: Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 10:56 AM

Hello family!

Sounds like you guys had an awesome week. Tell dad happy late fathers day I have a bunch of cards to send (inlcuding oneot dad for fathers day and one ot grandma thanking her for the package she sent me). I hope to get them in the mail this next week or so. Things have been crazy around here this last week.

On Friday, my mission President told me to pack my bags because I would be leaving in the morning to a city called Sousa. I left saturday morning and got here around 5 or so.It is way far from everything and it is stinking hot here. The other city I was in was pretty chilly (75 degrees). I am pretty sure I have changed because I was getting cold and I was studying with my suit jacket,socks and a blanket and it was 75 degrees Here it is much warmer. Luckily it is the winter. If not it would probably be around 120 degrees every day. 

We had normal transfer yesterday ( my transfer was out of the normal). My new companion is Elder Staheli from springville Utah. He is really awesome. We are both excited to get to work! This is his last transfer. Our area is really awesome and the members are super cool. We got a whole bunch of new missionaries here in the zone but I know it will be a fun transfer. Monday night, I had to go to the bus station around 1130 at night to drop off a missionary, then tuesday night we had two missionaries leave around 11 from the house, and last night we went to the bus station two times, the second time we stayed till around 1230 at night. Transfer here in this town are kind of crazy because it is so far but luckily almost everyone has gotten here safely, tonight there will be one more companionship getting here. Lots of new areas have been opening. I think 31 new missionaries got here this week. It is an exciting time to be serving a missionary for the Lord. I really feel the Lord is hastening His work and it is so fun being a part of it and am very excited for Kadyn and Mary.They will be great missionaries. I am excited for Becca too The more missionaries the better! Sunday there is going to be a world wild conference for missionaries and mission president's and President Monson is going to speak to us I am very excited to hear what he will say.

Well this week I had a cool experience with a family we are teaching. The husband has had some great experiences already praying and reading the Book of Mormon. During a leson, we asked him if he knew that Joseph Smtih was a prophet, he said he didn't know yet. Then we asked him if he knew that the Book of Mormon is true. He replied, '' I know that the Book of Mormon is true.'' right when he said that I got so happy! He has already stopped drinking coffee ad now he just is having trouble because he works on sundays.It is really hard to find work here and when you find it, it is hard to not be on sundays. He said he would talk to his boos though. I know that the Lord will help himfind a way to be able to keep the Sabbath Day holy and go to church with his family. His wife as well has a desire to be baptized.

Well I don't have too many experiences here yet. Things are going well. I feel like I get busier and busier with each transfer but that is okay. Time is flying by and I want to take advantage of every minute!

I am officialy a missionary in the Brasil Natal Mission now, well at least in 15 days when the mission opens I will be. But I won't be going back to João Pessoa. Now I can say I served two missions!

I had a funny experience this last week. Two fridays ago our leader came to our area to do an interview and while he was walking super quick on the road he tripped on this rope thing and fell pretty hard on his face. It was funny because when he got to the church He was kind of dirty and so that way funny. But the funnier part was last tuesday when he went on companion exchanges with me in my area and around 8:30 we went to an investigators house and while we were talking to them the wife that lives there said,'' hey aren't you that guy who fell down last week on the street?'' It was hilarious. I think he felt a little embarrassed but it was funny.

Thanks for all your support. I love you guys a lot! I hope everything goes well this week. I'll talk to you guys on monday Miss you

Love,

Elder Smith

D&C 107:99-100

Date: Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 7:05 AM

Hello!

Thanks for the videos dad! It is cool seeing you all in action. After so much time away from home sometimes I really do feel like I forgot how everything was! I feel like I was born a missionary and that all my life before was just a dream!

This last week went well. We had a zone conference which was really awesome. It was the last zone conference we will have with President Hall and maybe even the last time I will see him! He has been an awesome mission President and I know that everyone will miss him. But we are excited to recieve our new president and make him feel welcome to the Brasil João Pessoa mission! Next week we have the last transfers before the mission splits so I will know whether I will continue to be in the Brasil João Pessoa mission or the Brasil Natal mission. The new mission presidents will get here at the end of the month. Things are changing a whole lot but it is excited and a great experience for us all.

This last week we were teaching a part-member family. The wife is a member but her husband is not and the have a kid as well. We went there and talked about the plan of salvation and families with them. We talked about the temple and the importance of being sealed with our families so that we can be together forever. The Spirit was really strong. We usually invite the man of the house to offer a prayer or choose who will say the prayer. Usually, he is pretty shy and doesn't want to say it, but this time I asked him to choose someone and he said ''I'll say it''. I really was not expecting that! It was really awesome. He gave a great prayer and I felt very happy. I really hope he chooses to be baptized and that this family can be sealed in the temple. That would be amazing.

Also, there is a family we have been teaching for about 3 weeks. They were having trouble going to church, but finally two of their daughters went with a member. They were really the only ones with adesire to progress so we invited them to be baptized this last sunday. During the week we went there and followed-up like normal. But thursday we went there and We asked one of their daughters if she had been drinking coffee and she said no! And that she wanted to get baptized sunday. It was so awesome. We taught the whole family together and the Spirit was very strong. Because of the example of this girl it seemed like the whole family got a little more excited. She was baptized yesterday and I hope through her exmaple the family will start to progress better and see how great the gospel really is.

Well I hope all is well back at home. I love you all and miss you lots! You guys mean everything to me!

Our mission president talked about christlike atributes this last week and I was studying diligence today. I love this scripture D and C 107:99-100

Love,

Elder Smith

"I love the Book of Mormon"

Date: June 3, 2013

Thanks for the letter mom! Things are going well here in Malvinas.

We had one of our best weeks this last week. I really saw lots of changes in the lives of our investigators and the less-actives we are working with. The ward seems to be getting pretty excited because there were some new faces at church yesterday. We are teaching a less-active who works at a bakery and sometimes makes bread for us. He is  awesome and keeps saying he wants  to stop doing the things he was doing and find a church. It is  great seeing his desire to go to church and his pure intent to follow Jesus Christ.

A few funny things I have seen lately,  A man on the side of the road cutting open a huge lizard animal thing like a foot and a half long and  saying he was gonna give it to his friend because his friend likes to eat them! Also, sometimes they put a lot of people on the motorcyle at one time here, and the other day I say a man and a woman on the motorcycle and the woman was on the back breast-feading her baby as they road down the street. It was  very interesting. 

We have been teaching a really great family lately who lives close to a member. After a few weeks, 2 of their children went to church yesterday! They really liked church and want to continue. I am hoping through their example the whole family can be brought into the church and be an eternal family! 

I have been studying lots of the teaching of Christ lastely. I know he was the son of God and that he died for us. That He wasn't just a very wise man or a great teacher, but literally our Savior and came to the earth to show us the perfect example. I am very grateful to Him for His sacrifice he made. 

On Friday we went to another area to help out the Sister's in our district because they were helping Sisters in another area. We got to teach a man who goes to our ward but lives in their area. It was really good and we read Alma 32  together. I think during the  reading we did, I was better able to understand this chapter better. I was able to think back on my life and how I gained a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon. I remember when I was like 17  or 16 I started reading the Book of Mormon everyday at night before going to bed. It was during this time in my life that I saw true growth and I felt much closer to the Savior. It was through these experiences that I gained a stronger testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon and I then knew it was truly from God. I love the Book of Mormon. I have felt the Spirit the strongest during my mission as I have read the Book of Mormon with our investigators.        

Well I hope you all have an awesome week. Thanks for the recipes. I love you all and miss you lots! Tell Andrea and Abe I will try to get their letters off this week for their birthday! I feel kind of bad but I really just remembered a few days ago that their birthday was coming up because I am so unattached to the world!

Love,

Elder Smith