May 11, 2015- Week 10 in Mayorazgo!

This week sure was a rollarcoaster, but it was great! First off, it was SOO good talking to my family yesterday :) But funny story, when we left last night after skyping, a HUGE thunderstorm + hail came pouring down over us! The streets were filled with water and we just ran home, laughing at our luck. :) Sure gonna miss these Puebla thunderstorms!

We're still seeing a lot of progress in Nancy! She's working hard to be able to be baptized, and her whole family is even getting involved in missionary work! Isabela is also doing really great! We also had an AWESOME lesson with Sergio, Yanet's son on Saturday! Not sure if I've mentioned him or not, but he's 16, super rebelous and the only one that hasn't been baptized yet in the family. When I first got here, he just ignored us and definitely never sat down for the lessons. But after he went to his mom's baptism, he's been changing. He will come and sit down for the lessons, without being told to do so, and he's even starting to talk to us without us starting the conversations. Well, this last Saturday, he sat in on a lesson about keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and we both felt inspired to just start asking him questions. He is SUPER complicated and is passing through a lot of things...but we were able to see a side of him that I don't think he even knew existed. At the end of the lesson, he accepted the invitation to pray! (Yanet told us that he hasn't accepted ANY commitments from the missionaries since they started coming a year and a half ago.) We left their house SO excited, and honestly, we know that he's going to get baptized one day. He's just trying hard to fight it. He needs some work and a large dose of God's love, but he'll get there. Hna Perez has a lot of faith that she'll see that day, and I'm sure she will. :)

This Sunday was really cool because we had a "missionary" sunday! All of the talks were about missionary work and we had a musical number by...us! It was a little rough I think because my companion and the other hermanas have been battling colds, but I think we pulled it off, haha!

This week at our district meeting, our district leader pulled out a song that he wanted us to sing as the closing hymn. It's called "If the Savior Stood Beside Me"

If the Savior stood beside me,

Would I do the things I do?

Would I think of His commandments

And try harder to be true?

Would I follow His example?

Would I live more righteously,

If I could see the Savior standing nigh

Watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me,

Would I say the things I say?

Would my words be true and kind

If He were never far away?

Would I try to share the Gospel?

Would I speak more reverently

If I could see the Savior standing nigh

Watching over me?

He is always near me,

Though I do not see Him there

And because He loves me dearly

I am in His watchful care

So I'll be the kind of person

That I know I'd like to be
If I could see the Savior standing nigh
Watching over me

Ever since I was little, I always heard the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" This song was perfect for this week because I had a lot of moments when that little phrase popped into my head. I love the last verse, because I have felt Him near me, and I have felt that He is taking care of us. His love is so infinite and perfect...and all He asks in return is that we try to be like Him. Sometimes that's a hard thing to do. But, luckily, the Atonement helps us to do that as well. I'm really grateful for the mission because Heavenly Father has been me MANY opportunities to try and overcome my "natural woman" and be more like Him.

Well, I think that's all for this week... I love you all so much!!! I hope everyone has a fantastic week!!!!

Love always,

Hermana Smith