January 19, 2015- Week 2 in Ometoxtla!

Hey everyone!

Good news! This week was great! And I'll be staying here with Hermana Lerigeth for another transfer! We're really happy about it, and this area has soooo much potential. The next 6 weeks are going to be great.

As for an update on our investigators, Gudelia and her son, Jesus, went to church yesterday and really liked it! Gudelia told us that she would get baptized if she comes to know that this is true, but wasn't willing to set a date. But we know that the more she learns, and as she exercises her faith, she's going to make the decision. We also found a family of four yesterday - a dad, a mom and two daughters! They are super sweet, and very willing to listen, and they've even been to church before! The mom, Lorena, is REALLY Catholic though, so that will be a challenge, but I truly think they are interested in our message. Guillermina is still doing great, but she's been having some problems with her kidneys :( We're hoping that she gets better soon so that she can keep progressing. She is so amazing, and we're hoping to see her baptism this transfer :)

We were all also a little bit sick this week - with colds, fevers, stomach infections, everything! But we're getting better! I used to think that the sicknesses would eventually end in the mission, but nope, haha! It's one of the blessings of being in a foreign country! We were a bit worried, because I was having a lot of the same symptoms as when I got my little parasite friend last year. But the cool experience was that I was able to receive a blessing from an Elder, and the moment the blessing ended, the intense stomach pains that lasted more than 2 days went away. The Priesthood power is real!  

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Life gets really hard sometimes, but I know that this scripture is true. It's something that I've been learning a lot here - to always look for the good, and keeping a smile on my face, especially when it's hard to do so. My companion alwasy keeps me smiling and laughing, and for that I am grateful. And I'm grateful for the hard things! God loves us enough to give us trials, so that we can truly learn to be happy. I've been studying the October General Conference talks, and I absolutely love the talk Elder Uchtdorf gave during the women's meeting. 

"My dear sisters [and brothers] in the gospel, whether you are 8 or 108, there is one thing that I hope you truly understand and know:

You are loved.

You are dear to your heavenly parents.

The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you.

Yes, God loves you this very day and always.

He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.

And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens—even when you are struggling with your own.

He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly—He knows you as you really are. And He loves you—today and always!

...He loves you not only for who you are this very day but also for the person of glory and light you have the potential and the desire to become.

More than you could ever imagine, He wants you to achieve your destiny—to return to your heavenly home in honor."

And, He wants us to be happy. And that happiness all starts with understand who our Heavenly Father is, and His hopes for us. So, my invitation to all of you is that when you find yourself in hard situations or during hard times, remember to smile and remind yourself that the future will always better then the past. Well...that's my spiritual thought for the day! sorry it was a bit long!!

I love all of you so much! Have a great week!!!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photos:

-On top of the hill/pyramids in Cholula (Hna Newton, Hna Linford, me, Hna Lerigeth)

- Yep, that's a treehouse. In the middle of the city.

-Gudelia and Jesus :)

-At the Pyramids

-ok, this picture may seem a bit weird, but it's actually really funny. so friday night, our district leader (who is from Peru) told us that he once WALKED to Machu Picchu from his house. It took him 6 days to get there. ("it's 7 hours in train, but i prefer to walk" -Elder Garcia) we've been laughing about it since, and today, we saw this picture and so we just had to take a picture with it.