January 28, 2014

So...This week. Yes, it is Tuesday and I am just barely writing this. It souns like at least my parents were informed of what was happening this week, but I´ll give you all the run down.

So Tuesday, everything was great! We had a lot of lessons, and we are very excited about the progress of our investigators, especially Rosario and Lupita (Getting baptized this Saturday!) Unfortunately...after eating at a member´s house, I wasn´t feeling too fantastic. All Tuesday night, I was extremely sick. We figured it was just food poisoning though.

Wednesday morning came and I felt even worse! The Elders came and gave me a blessing, then two members in the ward took me to the doctor. The doctor said that it was just food poisoning, gave me some pills and told me I would be fine. However, that evening, I couldn´t breathe very well, and I was having a lot of pain in my chest and head. So, we went back to the doctor, and the amount of fluids I was taking in couldn´t keep up with what I was losing, and I was extremely dehydrated. She perscribed an IV for that night, told me to rest all day Thursday, then I would be fine. 

Thursday. We were in the apartment all day, and I wasn´t getting better. I had more strength than Wednesday, but I was extremely dizzy all the time, even while sitting or laying down, and stil felt a lot of pain. However, Friday, we decided to get back to work, at least a little bit. The mission doctor also told us to go the doctor, because the dizzyness wasn´t normal. So we went back to the doctor (round 3!) and she gave me MORE pills, and suggested that maybe I should get a blood test the next day. We called the mission doctor again, and she told us that the next morning, we needed to go to the emergency room and get all of the tests we could possibly get. 

So Saturday morning, the Bishop took us to the emergency room, and that was when the real fun started! Haha! The doctor of the emergency room said that my body was just "adjusting" to the change of living in Mexico, but she agreed to let us take the tests and check into the hospital. They took 3 different blood tests and others, hooked me up to some IVs and then checked me into a room in the hospital. Around 3 that afternoon, a doctor came in and told me that I had a parasite. Whoo, I am officially an American Missionary in a forgein country! The pills that the first doctor had been perscribing was helping with the vomiting, but didn´t kill any of the bacteria, so it had been getting worse and worse every day. So, he put me on some anti-biotics, more fluids for the dehydration and we proceeded to spend the next 3 days in the hospital with constant IVs and lots and lots of Jello. Around 11 last night, I finally came back home, and I feeling ALMOST completely normal again :) Right now, I just don´t have a ton of energy. We can only have 2 maybe 3 visits a day for the next week, and then I have to keep resting in the apartment. 

Funny Story 1: When I was in the emergency room, they put me on some medicine, but didn´t equalize it with enough fluid, so apparently, I went a little coocoo. But, according to Hermana Muñoz, even when I´m totally drugged up, I can still recite the First Vision, D&C 4, and sing Hymns in Español - multiple times! And apparently, I was REALLY craving ice cream and pizza, and I was really concerned for the Elders, because I didn´t think they had food to eat that day. So concerned, that I made Hma Muñoz call them and double check that they had food. And I couldn´t stop laughing, like ever. I don´t remember any of this, but Hermana Muñoz said it definitely made her day a little brighter!

Funny Story 2: Yesterday, I was in the room with a member (Hermana Muñoz left to eat with another member) and two nuns came in! (By the way, the hospital was a Catholic one...oops!) But they wanted to pray for me, and I really didn´t know what was going on until they started praying. It was the longest prayer ever, and it was very different from how we pray. After they were done, they asked me why I was in Mexico. So I told them that I was a missionary for the church and their faces just fell. They looked at each other, gathered up their flyers, and promptly excused themselves. I love being a missionary!

But in reality...I learned a lot this week. But probably, the biggest thing I learned was patience. I´ll be honest, it was really rough constantly feeling sick for a week, and being stuck in that hospital bed. But God´s timing is perfect. And I know that there were many reasons why I needed to be in that hospital and be sick. Maybe it was because I learned to appreciate and love my companion so much more. Maybe becase I was able to get to know several more of the members. Maybe because we were able to share the gospel with many of the nurses who had questions about our church. Or maybe because I needed that time to really study the gospel, and spanish, and strengthen my own testimony. I love this work, and I am grateful for the trials that we go through. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father, and His ability to heal us - spiritually and physically - through His son, Jesus Christ. 

I love all of you so much, and thank you for your prayers and testimonies! I am excited to get back to work this week, and hopefully, next weeks letter will be a bit better :) Have a great week! I love you!

Love always, Hermana Smith

PS - the pic isn´t great, but it´s all I´ve got! Haha!

January 20, 2014

Hey familia!

It has been another crazy week here in Mexico! But I am still just loving it, and enjoying being a missionary!

So this week, we have been working really hard with 3 investigators - Rosario and Lupita (The mom and daughter who are still planning on being baptized on the 1st) and a new investigator, Marina. We met her in the street my first week here, and she is a single mom with 3 little kids, and has a lot of difficulties in her life. But as we have taught her this last week about the Gospel, and the hope that comes with it, her whole countanence has changed, and she is becoming a completely different person. It is absolutely the BEST thing to see someone change right before your eyes. She has committed to be baptized on March 1st! (Woot, happy birthday to me!) But seriously, I just love everyone here, and this is the most amazing work in the world.

We have also been working with a few in-actives this week. Jonathon is a Recent Convert AND inactive...so that´s been interesting! And also with Analousia who is so sweet and nice. And also the Palamares Family. They have two sons, and the mom and the sons have been coming to church again! They live right across the street from us, so we get to check up on them almost every day :) 

This week was really abnormal haha. On Wednesday, we had district meeting (like usual), but then we had Zone conference ALL DAY with President and Hermana Reeves! It was a great conference, and I really appreciated the instruction we received. President Reeves talked a lot about the Spirit, and its role in Missionary Work. He quoted Wilford Woodruff, who said that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift man can receive in mortality, and I whole heartedly agree! There is no way that we would be able to find, help and teach people without the Holy Ghost. Then, on Friday, Hermana Muñoz and I had to go to Puebla for more paperwork for my visa. (Puebla is 2 hours away, so we were gone for a while). But I was able to see two of the elders who were in my district in the MTC, and they are doing great as well! Then Saturday was just loco! But it was also my favorite day, because Moises was baptized!!! YAY! It was really awesome seeing him take that next step in his eternal progresson. He is amazing, and he will be a great leader in the church. 

Sunday was also pretty crazy... news spread that I could play the piano and now (I think) I will be playing EVERY week in Sacrament Meeting and I think my companion signed me up to teach the children in the ward piano. (I say I think because most of the time, I really don´t know what people are saying, haha) So...yay! It´ll be interesting for sure. But, last night, we contacted a referal and the WHOLE FAMILY WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED. The parents and two daughters! They have a lot of things to work through beforehand, but we´re excited to start working with them and helping them reach their goal of being an eternal family. :)

The work is great. The church is true! I know that this is the Savior´s church on the Earth, and I know that He stands at the head, guiding and helping us. I know that He is my Savior, and I know that through Him, we can change and become the people that we want to be. I know that all things are possible through Him, through His strength and mercy. I love you all, family!!! You are in my prayers 24/7 and I hope all of you are happy and healthy! 2 months today...it has gone by fast! Too fast, haha. But I´m looking forward to all the remaining time I have here :)

Love always, Hermana Smith

FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!! I AM IN MEXICO!!! January 13, 2014

Ok, if you can´t tell, I´m pretty excited to be here! It has been one crazy psycho week, but oh my goodness, I just love it here SOOO much!

So Tuesday morning around 1 AM, we arrived in Puebla! We then went to my mission president´s and slept for a while haha. Then that morning, I had my first Mexican breakfast and we started the day! Just so y´all know, my mission president and his wife are incredible. They are very generous, sweet, and spiritual. Hermana Reeves doesn´t know Spanish, but she is trying hard! They have been mission presidents for a while...they actually go home in July :( But that´s ok. Anyway, we had an orientation meeting that morning and then we went to the stake center for assignments! Ahh! And that is when all the Spanish started, haha. But after I met my companion and we took the two hour bus ride to our area, I felt much better.

So my companion is AMAZING. She is from Peru, can say maybe 10 words in English, is SO sweet, has been a convert for about 3 years and knows WAY more about the Gospel than I do! She works SO hard, which I am so grateful for. I came here to work, and that is exactly what we are doing! Her name is Hermana Muñoz, just so you know :) And I love her dearly!

So Wednesday, I offically (really) started my mission! I am serving in Tehuacan right now, and will most likely be here for all of my training (about 3 months). It is very dusty here, lots of bugs, but the weather is PERFECT! All of the natives here though think that it is FREEZING, haha, so I´m a little worried for what summer will be like. I am the first American woman that most of the people here have ever seen. You probably think I´m joking, but I´m not. This definitely isn´t a tourist area of Mexico. Most of the members here call me Hermana Barbie, because I´m tall and white and they think I´m pretty haha. Yeah, I´m really tall here! Crazy right? So on Wednesday, we studied (we study for about 4 hours every day: personal, companion, training and language) and then started walking. We do a LOT of walking, but I like it. We also eat one big meal every day with a member. My first day, I had the weirdest thing that you can eat here, according to Elder Fryer (he is the other american in my district). But I ate chicherron...which is pig skin. Yup. I could really use Costa Vida again, haha. But other than that, the food here is really good. I have also eaten torro (bull), tacos (way different here than in America), hot dog soup (yup, you read that right) and mashed potatoes wrapped in ham. We eat a lot of rice and a lot of tortillas, and i like both of those :)

We have 3 investigators with baptisimal dates: Moises, Rosario and Guadalupe! Moises was supposed to get baptized this last Saturday, but he had a relapse with the word of wisdom, and so now, we´re aiming for this Saturday! He is 23 and loves the Book of Mormon. He is a very great person! Rosario and Guadalupe....ah, i just LOVE them! They are a mother and daughter, and they are the sweetest. On Wednesday, we visited them and they told us that they were reading the Book of Mormon and just loved it! We invited them to pray about it and about Joseph Smith. Then on Friday... we invited them to be baptized and they both said yes! The date for their baptisms is February 1, so please pray for them, and for Moises as well! 

We have many other investigators as well, and we also do a lot of work with the inactives here. Yumico is awesome, and she is trying really hard to keep her commitments and seek answers from Heavenly Father. Etson and Guadalupe (son and mom) are fantastic. Etson is 11 and he is so smart, and he loves reading the Book of Mormon. They won´t commit to baptism yet though because Guadalupe´s husband doesn´t want them too. That is kinda a big problem here - many of the mothers and kids want to be baptized, but the fathers don´t want them to. But I have a feeling that they will eventually be baptized :) Mayra is a single mom, and she desires to be a better mom for her son, and we are helping her to see how God, Christ and the scriptures can help her to be the person she wants to be. All in all, we aim to teach around 5-6 lessons a day. We also pick up 1-2 new investigators every day, just from talking to them as we are walking everywhere. The people here in Tehaucan are very receptive and desire to following Jesus Christ. It definitely helps in our work as missionaries!

The ward here is INCREDIBLE. I just love them all so much. We work a lot with the Bishop, and his wife comes with us to lessons a lot. The ward mission leader is very dedicated, as is the rest of the ward to their callings. We do a lot of ward activities that we bring less-actives and investigators to, and the people here are so nice. I totally feel at home. All of the hermanas here just take care of me! Funny story - yesterday, we were a tad late to Sacrament Meeting because we were picking up Rosario. When we walked in, everyone was looking at me, and then Elder Fryer ran up to me, and explained that the Bishop wanted me to give like a 5 minute talk! GAH. So I just went up there with my awful Spanish, shared a scripture and bore my testimony. Apparently it was ok, because everyone told me that I did way better my first time than Elder Fryer did his first week, haha! so success! Oh, another funny story! So we were helping an hermana in the ward make tacos for a ward activity (yeah, i made legit Mexican tacos this week!) and her daughter, Evelyn is the sweetest. She is 8, and tries so hard to make me feel welcome and and home all the time. We were helping with the tacos, and Evelyn found out that I never had a Barbie when I was a little girl. (Which i am grateful for, Mom!) But she went to her room, grabbed her only Barbie, and tried to give it to me! It was so thoughtful and sweet. ...The people here really have nothing. It is so different here...but the people are so charitible and giving. It has definitely made me a lot more grateful for what I have had in my life.

All in all, familia, I love it here. My spanish is coming rapidly and there is no where else I would rather be. Even though I´ve had to take freezing cold showers, I have bug bites all over my legs and I have to wash my clothes by hand...there really is no where else I would rather be, nothing else I would rather be doing than serving my Heavenly Father and His precious children.  :) Until next week, i hope all of you have a great week! i love you all so much!!!

love always, Hermana Smith

PS- EVERYONE asks me if i´m related to Jose Smith. Everyone. Thanks, dad :)

January 4, 2014

Happy New Year!

So this is going to be a crazy week! And the last email for a little while, because I'm not sure when my next p-day will be! So ENJOY IT! Haha! :)

This week was pretty intense! On Tuesday, we had our last Tuesday Devotional with Elder Ellis of the Seventy. He gave a fantastic talk about "voluntary repentance". What he meant by that was us choosing to become better people, and utilizing the Atonement in order to do so. It went along perfectly with my studies of grace! Speaking of that, I found a really great quote about grace from Brad Wilcox. "Grace is not the light at the end of the tunnel. It is the light that leads you through the tunnel." Grace really does cover everything, and helps us with everything. It may not help us to know what the end result will be, but it will help carry us through anything, whether it be trials or the process of becoming better. I just love it! The Atonement is so perfect, because Christ was perfect. I am so grateful for His selfless sacrifice, and for the opportunity I have every single day to be better. 

Wednesday was our last normal MTC day this week! Nothing totally awesome happened...except we played an AMAZING game of volleyball that day, for our last gym period! It was a good way to end the normality!

Thursday, we had in-field orientation all day. I actually really enjoyed it! We talked about how to make street contacts, ask for referrals, work with members, all that "other" fun stuff about missionary work! I was even able to debut my completely awesome acting skills for everyone! :P Hermana Linford and I were hijacked in the hall while the instructors were preparing to perform a play for us, a play about working with the members. They asked us to be part of the ward council, and I had the pleasure of being the RS President! Haha, and I had to be completely obnoxious! But, a lot of people laughed (hopefully with me, not at me!), so I guess it was ok! But the thing I learned most from in-field orientation is the importance of not lowering our expectations or our confidence. I feel a lot more ready for Mexico now than I did before Thursday, so it was good :) 

And yesterday, for the second time, we went to the airport to go to Vegas...and we made it this time :) No unexpected blizzards! All in all, nothing too exciting happened, we mostly just did a LOT of waiting around. But the Mexican consulate was fun, listening to all of the Spanish and trying to figure out what they were saying :) I still have so much to learn...haha. But the good news is that when we got home late last night, we found some more travel plans waiting for us! And now, I am not alone! Hermana Linford and Elders Werber and Thorne will be traveling with me :) Hermana Jones, however, is going to be flying into Mexico City by herself...so please pray for her on Monday as well! Hermana Bowers still doesn't have her visa...but she has been reassigned to serve in the Salt Lake City East mission until she receives it :) We're very excited for her, and we can't wait for her to join us down in Puebla!

I can't believe I only have one more full day in the USA! AHH! But I am so incredibly excited! I can't wait for this crazy adventure to begin! I love all of you SOOOOOO much! The church is true! And being a missionary has definitely been the best experience of my life thus far :)

Love ALWAYS, Hermana Smith

December 30, 2013

Hola!

This week was a great one! So, on Tuesday night, we had a devotional with Elder Evans of the Seventy. He is on the missionary board with Elders Nelson and Bednar. He gave a wonderful talk! His wife did as well! He talked a lot about how important it is to lift people up, and to share the missionary spirit. Haha, it's kind of hard to explain, but it was just a really great talk. Then, that night, the Elders in our zone dropped off boxes of Christmas goodies to all of us sisters! We were so touched by their thoughtfulness! I am really so appreciative for my district, my zone, and the members of our branch presidency. They have really made this MTC experience incredible.

Then there was Christmas! We started out with a missionary talent show, which was really cool (and pretty hilarious). We had a Christmas lunch (which was like Thanksgiving) and then...ELDER BEDNAR CAME! It was AMAZING! We did a Q&A session, which is what he usually does, but every single question was so inspired, and helped me so much. One of my favorite answers was to the question, "Why do I feel so inadequate?" Elder Bednar replied by saying "You feel inadequate because you have some sense of what exactly you have been called to do. Every calling in the church will make you feel inadequate. I feel inadequate every day! But, when you feel inadequate, you can recognize your mortal limitations and then know exactly who you need to turn to for help." It made me feel better knowing that even an Apostle feels inadequate. He also talked a lot about the enabling power of the Atonement, and gave us an apostolic blessing, that "if we will sincerely seek to understand the strengthening power of the Atonement, then you will be able to fulfill your calling, in the land that you have been assigned to labor." So, I am making a very conscious effort to learn about and apply that aspect of the Atonement in my life. I have already seen its help in my life, but I definitely want to learn more. Grace is such an interesting topic, and I'm excited to learn more about it :) After the devotional, we listened to a jazz band, which was actually really cool! It reminded me a lot of high school :) And then we had dinner, and finished the day watching the MoTab Christmas Performance from last year with Alfie Boe. Love it! So great :) It was a fantastic day.

On Thursday...life went back to normal. However, we got our invitation to go back to the Mexican Consulate, and we are going there this Friday. I also received my travel plans...only 4 of us did though. And we are all split up. I am leaving Salt Lake next Monday at 12:30 PM. The rest of my district is leaving at 8:00 AM... and I get to travel by myself :( I'm a little worried... I go from Salt Lake to Dallas, then to Monterrey, Mexico. There, I will meet up with 2 other missionaries in my district, and then, we'll fly from Monterrey to Puebla. We're scheduled to arrive in Puebla at midnight. I'm excited to finally be going though! Just make sure and send some extra prayers my way next Monday! Heaven knows that I will be the one to get lost in a Mexican airport! (I'll be able to email again this Saturday, but then after that, you may not hear from me until the following Monday. But, I am allowed to call my family when I'm at the airport, so please send me an email with your phone number before Saturday if you want me to call you!)

Friday was pretty cool! For TRC this week, we Skyped with a man living in Mexico! He is a member, but we Skyped him and shared a message about receiving revelation during church. It was really cool...then discouraging...then cool again, because even though I didn't understand most of what he was saying, I understood A LOT more than I ever could have 6 weeks ago! My teacher, Hermana Larsen had to remind me of that, but I really am grateful to be learning Spanish. The people of Mexico are fantastic, and talking with the man made me just that much more excited to go! Thank you, modern technology, for allowing us to have that opportunity!

Yesterday...I gave my first Sacrament Meeting talk in Spanish! In my branch we all have to prepare a talk on a certain subject, then after the Sacrament, my branch president announces the 2 or 3 missionaries that will be speaking that day. It was kinda crazy...during the last part of the Sacrament, I just had a thought "I am going to give a talk today". I wasn't surprised at all when President Wilkins said my name! I think it went pretty well though...it was only a 5 minute talk, so not that big of a deal. But I was glad to get it out of the way here, and not in Puebla, haha! Our district also sang for the musical number in church. It's kinda a tradition here, that the district leaving next gives a farewell musical number. We sang the "Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth" medley, and I played the flute! It was a great experience :) I love how much music we have here at the MTC. Music really does help to bring the Spirit into meetings, classes, etc. 

I can't believe that this is my last full week at the MTC! I am very grateful now for the extra time that I do have here. Heavenly Father DEFINITELY knows what He's doing! We also said goodbye to the district that came in the same day as us...they all left for their various destinations Sunday and this morning. I can't believe we're the next ones to go! Heavenly Father puts people into our lives for a reason, and I'm grateful for the wonderful people I have been able to meet here.

Have a fantastic week, everyone! I love all of you so much, and I am grateful for each of you! I will email again Saturday! 

Love, Hermana Smith

December 25, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Thank you so much for your gifts! You are all so sweet, and I love you all so much! I hope all of you have a FANTASTIC Christmas, and that you are able to feel the joy and happiness that comes from the Savior and our sweet family. I know that I have this Christmas. I am so blessed to have you in my life - and I am so happy that I get to spend eternity with all of you.

I don't have much to give this Christmas, but I do want all of you to know that I love my Savior. I know that it is because of His life and death that we celebrate His birth. I know that He lives. I know that He loves each and every one of us, and that through Him, we can return to live with our Father in Heaven again. He really is the Prince of Peace. He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. He is my Redeemer, and my best friend. I know these things, and I testify of Him, with my whole heart and soul. I am grateful everyday for Him, this gospel, and the opportunity I have to spend the next 17 months inviting others to come unto Him.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!!! Have a wonderful day! :)

Love always and forever, Ashley

December 23, 2013

Hola!

I can't believe it is Christmas this week. It doesn't feel like it at all!!! But this week has been really great! And I am just getting more and more anxious for 2 WEEKS from now for when I'll be in PUEBLA! Ahh! So exciting :)

So last Tuesday, Elder Rasband (presidency of the Seventy) spoke at Devotional, and he talked about Spiritual Gifts! It was a really great talk! The best part though was after at Devotional Review. Our district leader, Elder Auten, decided that we should all go around one at a time and tell each other what spiritual gifts we have noticed in that person. Not only did that help me with my own confidence as a missionary, but it really made me realize that I was called at this time for a reason, that I was put with my district here for a reason. We all are so different, and because of that, I have been able to learn so much from each of them. 

On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to host the new missionaries that came to West Campus! That was a fun experience! It's like I'm a senior now and we were welcoming in freshman, haha! 

Thursday was INSANE. Ok, so good news is that myself, Hermanas Jones and Linford and Elders Werber and Thorne all got approved for our visas! Still keep praying for Hermana Bowers-Nunez please! My heart would just break if we weren't all able to go to Puebla together, but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for her if that's not the case. So on Thursday, we were all supposed to go to Vegas for the day to meet with the Mexican Consulate. We left at 4:30, got to the airport at6:30 and were supposed to board at 8. At 9:30 AM, we were finally able to board the plane, where we sat for an hour. The airport had been closed down to one runway because of the snow and after that hour, they shut down the airport. So our flight was obviously delayed, so we got off the plane and waited for another hour until they told us that our flight had been cancelled. Boo. So we had to spend the next 3 hours getting on the Trax and finding our way back to Provo, all in the snow. We were with 6 other Mexico-bound missionaries and about 8 Finland-bound missionaries that were supposed to go to San Fran for their visas. So we were quite the group! It was definitely an adventure! They aren't sending anyone to get visas this week, so hopefully we'll be able to try again next week sometime. But it definitely wasn't a waste of a day, we were able to talk to so many people. oh and DAD, I met Thurl Bailey!! Haha, he sure is TALL. He says Hi to you too :) But we also met a lot of people who didn't know about the church. Hermana Jones, Linford and I sat next to this couple and we talked to them for over an hour. They are really amazing people! And even though we didn't get them a Book of Mormon or anything, I think we were definitely able to plant some seeds there. So Thursday was good :) Long, but good.

Friday was a sad day :( It was Hermano Rasmussen's last day (because he got married on Saturday) and we were all so sad! Hermana Larsen is still teaching us, and now, Hermano Savio is teaching for Hermano Ras. He's pretty cool, but I do miss Hermano Ras! When he left, we gave us his "Rules to Live By". Here they are! They are awesome!

1. No excuses: When something goes wrong, take full responsibility. When something goes right, share the credit, especially with God.

2. No complaints: Spend the time you would to whine finding a solution in which you will be an integral part.

3. Never Give Up: Though I may not be the one with the most talent and intelligence, I will be the one with the most drive and determination.

4. Be perfect in Repentance: Though I may not be perfect, I will be perfect in repentance and worthily partake of the sacrament each week

5. Seek earnestly to know and do the will of the Lord: His thoughts will be my thoughts and his will my will.

The rest of this week has been pretty normal otherwise! I'm really excited for tomorrow evening and Christmas. We will be definitely listening to some apostles and watching Christmas movies and stuff!  So it should be a good week :) 

I love all of you so much! I love being a missionary! My favorite scripture this week is Moroni 9:25. Because Christ was lifted up on the cross, and died for all of us, He is truly able to lift US up when we are low. I love my Savior. I know that this church is the true church, and that the Gospel truly does bring happiness! 

Have a fantastic week and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :) 

Love, Hermana Smith

December 16, 2013

Hola, family and friends!

It has been a crazy week! Haha, I'm not even sure where to start! I guess I will just go day by day!

On Tuesday, we had devotional and Elder Quentin L. Cook came and spoke to us! It was amazing! We also sang in the choir, which was a super spiritual experience. I love the MTC choir! And I love the General Authorities! They truly are men (and women) of God, and they always say the things that us missionaries need to hear! I'm excited to hear whoever will be speaking tomorrow at Devotional.

Wednesday was the tough day. But it was good too! We got two more districts in our zone - a district of 8 Elders and a district of 6 sisters. The sisters are intermediate, so they is why they are all together. They kinda keep to themselves, but they're very nice. The Elders are hilarious! And they all sing really well, so we made sure that they came to choir with us yesterday. I'm excited to get to know all of them more the next 3 weeks. Yeah, 3 WEEKS til I'm in Mexico! (Hopefully!) My district finally started hearing about visas this week, and Elders Anderton and Auten are actually in Las Vegas today meeting with the Mexican Consulate and receiving their visas. Please pray for the rest of us and all the other missionaries that we will be able to hear about our visas soon! But anywho...on Wednesday, we had a really rough lesson with one of our investigators, Laura. We weren't working great as a companionship, and I could tell that Laura wasn't believing anything that we were saying. I left that lesson pretty upset with myself and Hermana Linford, and I didn't even know what to deal with it. I just went into the bathroom and kinda fell apart, haha. After a few minutes, I just got down on my knees and started praying, asking for help and comfort. And immediately, and I mean immediately, I could feel the Spirit fill that little room. It started at the top of my head and moved down until I felt completely peaceful and calm. In Alma 7:11-12, it talks about Christ's Atonement, and how He suffered for ALL things in our lives. At the end of verse 12, it says that He did this, "that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." The word "succor" means to "run to the aid of". I truly felt that Wednesday night. I know that my Savior has felt everything that I have gone through, and that if we ever need help, all we have to do is ask. He WILL run to our aid. 

After Wednesday, the week got WAY better! Don't get me wrong, Wednesday was still an awesome day, and I treasure every single day here. But we all have rough patches, but as long as we learn from them, they will help us to grow!

On Friday, I had another really neat experience with the Spirit. All of us missionaries have been struggling with the concept of asking inspired questions. So on Friday, Hermano Rasmussen decided that we were going to practice asking inspired questions! So he asked us to, with our companions, ask inspired questions. He told us not to say a word until the Spirit prompted us to. So, Hermana Linford and I just sat there in silence for about 5 minutes. I had a question come to my mind a couple of times, but Then she asked me a question. It kinda threw me off guard, the question she asked. But as we talked through it, I found that it really was something I needed to talk about, something that I had really only talked to Heavenly Father about. Then I asked the question that had come to my mind and...she started to cry. And we talked, and I asked more questions as the Spirit directed, and she was really able to open up to me about things that had been troubling her. It not only brought us closer together as companions, but we were able to recognize the significance of asking inspired questions. After that exercise, Hermano Rasmussen wrote a question up on the board, a question about repentance and the Atonement. He asked it, pretending to be Christofer (the investigator that he pretends to be), and immediately some missionaries in my district started saying things. And he kept asking it again, not satisfied with the answers, and asking how he could change. I felt like the Spirit was running me over like a train, but I just kept my mouth shut. With 8 missionaries in a room, it's been easy for me to just sit back and listen. But then Hermano Rasmussen looked over at me and asked, "How can I change? How can I change my ways and desires?" And I just looked at him and quietly asked if he had faith in Jesus Christ and the Atonement. He sat there for a really long time and then looked back at me and said, yes. Then I bore my testimony that through faith, and through the Atonement, he could change, that Heavenly Father would help him to change. Then he smiled at me and said, "THAT is how you are going to feel all the time, and I promise that your investigators will receive testimony of the truth of your words through the Spirit." It was a really cool experience. It really helped me gain confidence in my abilities as a teacher, a helper to the real Teacher, excuse me. After that, our lessons have improved so much, and I am just that much more excited to go to Mexico! It truly helped all of us!

And yesterday was amazing! I just love Sundays! And I know I say that every week but it's true! Sister Ann Madsen, a cute older Religion professor at BYU, spoke at Relief Society, and she gave an amazing talk. And Hermana Linford and I decided to watch a talk from last conference and we watched, "You Can Do It Now!", the talk Pres. Uchtdorf gave at Priesthood Session. It's fantastic, go watch it if you never have before! We said goodbye to another district...and I'm going to miss them a lot! It's crazy how close you get in such a short amount of time. We went to choir, then the Sunday devotional. The BYU Men's Chorus came and sang to us :) It was really good! And then we finished the night by watching "The Testaments". 

I am so grateful to be a missionary, a witness, a representative of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He loves us and that only through Him can we return to live with our Father in Heaven again. I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I love the Book of Mormon. I seriously can't get enough of it every single day. There is a true power that comes from that book, if we study it and truly apply its teachings into our lives. I love all of you so much!!!! I hope you have a fantastic week, and that you will feel so much joy and happiness this Christmas season.

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photos: Us with Hermanas Marx and Edwards, Us with Elders Wilcox and Keith, and Us with CUPCAKES that some random Elder gave us last week! Awesome week!

December 9, 2013

Hola from the CCM!

This week has been a FANTASTIC one! I´m not even sure where to begin! 

Tuesday morning, we went out at 6:30 to find snow! First snow of the year that has actually stuck! It was pretty for the first hour or so...but now after a week of walking in it, we are extremely ready for Mexico! (Where it is sunny and 70 degrees every day!) On Tuesday, we also started teaching our new investigators for the first time this week, Laura and Christofer. Laura is really hard to get through to but Christofer is doing awesome! During our second lesson with him, we both felt strongly that we needed to commit him to baptism, which we definitely weren't planning on. And he said yes! It was so exciting! We also had an amazing devotional Tuesday night. Elder Ballard was supposed to come speak to us, but he got snowed in up in Salt Lake! So instead, Bruce C Hafen came and it was spectacular. I absolutely love the devotionals here at the MTC!

On Wednesday, we did TRC for the first time! There is where we go and practice with members, teaching them a lesson and they give us feedback. One of the sisters, Hermana Applegate was super sweet. We shared the Restoration with her (I can now recite the First Vision completely in Spanish!) and she shared a little message about how we all have our own "sacred groves", moments when we have called upon God with all our hearts, searching for answers. And he always answers, even though they're not in visions. But they are still so meaningful to us. I loved that!

Thursday and Friday were pretty normal days...haha. Oh, except I got a special package of HEATHER'S AMAZING COOKIES on Friday! Yummmmmmmmy! Totally made my week. They were so good. And my district loved them! Gracias, sweet sister!

Saturday was a crazy day, but really awesome. We started by doing service (cleaning the cafeteria) then had gym, and then, when we were in the middle of studying, our building had to be evacuated! I guess there was a huge gas leak at one end of the building! They had to call the fire department and everything! So that was crazy! I also had my first funny language moment on Saturday... so during our lesson with Laura, I wanted to ask her "Do you desire to be better, Laura?" Well...I got a couple words mixed up. the word for better in Spanish is "mejor". And...the word for woman is "mujere". I was so confident that I was saying the right thing when I asked her, "Do you desire to be a woman, Laura?" She gave me an extremely confused look, so I said it slower and even more earnestly! Then Hermana Linford busted up laughing and then Laura exclaimed, "OHHH! MEJOR! not mujere!" I was so confused and then Hermana Linford told me what I had really said. I am just grateful that we weren't teaching Christofer, haha!! 

Then yesterday was just amazing. Sister Neill Marriott, the 2nd counselor in the General YW Presidency, came and spoke to us for RS. She talked a lot about charity, and how we can develop charity, and how it will help us as missionaries. It was just beautiful! We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional for our Sunday night devotional (which was awesome! I hope you all watched it!) and then ended with watching the Joseph Smith movie. Love it. So great! I love Sundays here at the MTC :)

One thing that I have been working on this week is developing certain gifts of the Spirit. I decided to go through my patriarchal blessing and list the gifts that I have been asked to strive to obtain from Heavenly Father. As I have studied how to obtain this gift, and have applied what I have learned to my studying, praying and general everyday living, I have seen a great change. I have found myself seriously feasting on the word of God, and my mind has been completely overwhelmed with personal revelation. I know that God has asked me to seek this gift for a reason, and I know that it will be a lifelong process. But I have already seen how seeking after it has blessed my life, my desires as a missionary, and my ability to teach others. I encourage all of you to search your patriarchal blessings this week, and really seek (or continue to seek) after a gift that the Lord would like you to develop. I know that it will bless your life, just as it has begun to bless mine!

I love all of you so much! You are amazing examples to me, and I know that I wouldn't be where I am without you! Have a fantastic week!

With all my love, 

Hermana Smith

For the pictures:

First picture is my zone! Most of them left this morning, it was so sad! But we get two new districts this week!

Second is with two of the sisters that left, Hermanas Hill and Costley, and Sister Marrcov, our branch´s first counselors wife

December 1, 2013

Hola mi familia y mi amigos! 

This week has been a great week! We did a lot of teaching (some good lessons, and some that we can definitely learn from!) and tried to fill our heads with as much Spanish as possible. It's kinda crazy to think of how much Spanish I knew 2 weeks ago compared to now. This morning, I was reading "Preach My Gospel"...in Spanish! And I knew almost every word! The Lord has blessed me so much this week, even though I know I haven't deserved it, haha!

I should probably let you know that on Wednesday, Hermana Linford and I took a trip up to the MTC health clinic. I know Heather remembers this, but a few months back (when we were running a lot) I kinda did something to my knee and never figured out what happened. Anyway, it started hurting a lot again when I got here, and she finally convinced me to go see a doctor. The doctor was nice, and he thinks that it's nothing major. He thinks that a certain tendon in my leg around my knee just gets irritated and inflamed after a lot of exercise. I can't run AT ALL anymore, at least not until after my mission, and he prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication for me to take when it hurts. Two Elders in my district also gave me a blessing. It has helped a LOT. There is almost no pain in my knee anymore. I still have to go back in 10 days so they can make sure it's not a bigger problem but I honestly think that it's taken care of. So yay! But the cool part to this story is that when we went to the pharmacy to get the medicine, the pharmacy's card machine wasn't working, so they could only take cash. Hermana Linford and I didn't have enough cash with us, but the pharmacist just took out his wallet, put some money in the register and said, "Go get 'em, Sisters!" I was so grateful for his act of service towards me. Like I said, the Lord has blessed me more than I deserve.

Thanksgiving was great! At first, I woke up feeling really homesick, but as soon as the day started, most of those feelings melted away. We spent all day at the main campus. Elder Russell M. Nelson came and spoke to us that morning! He gave a fantastic devotional, about how to truly become the Lord's missionaries! Then we had a Thanksgiving Dinner for lunch, walked around the temple and sang lots of hymns. Then we had a devotional about the church's humanitarian program, and then....we helped prepare 350,208 meals for Utah kids who don't get enough food! It was an awesome experience! You guys might have heard about it, we heard that it was on the news or something? But it was really wonderful. We have truly been given so much, and it was a wonderful feeling knowing that we were helping children receive the proper care that they deserve. After the humanitarian project, we ended the day with watching "Ephraim's Rescue". If you haven't seen it, go watch it! It's good!

After being here a full week, I now know what they mean by "the days are long, but the weeks are short". I can't believe I've been here for as long as I have! And it's kinda funny, because my district is actually scheduled to be here for 7 weeks! We were apparently supposed to report the 27, but they didn't want to make anyone report the day before Thanksgiving. But for the way transfer are in my mission, we have to stay here for an extra week. Which I am grateful for, because that's more time I have to *try* to learn Spanish, and to spend with my district. The other Hermanas and I have grown so close the last 11 days! I think that's why Thanksgiving wasn't as hard as it could have been, because we were still with family. I love them so much! 

Yo se, con todos mi corazon, que Jesucristo es mi Salvador. Mediante Su Expiacion, volvemos vivir con nuestro Padre Celestial. Yo se que El Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios, y es verdadero. La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias es la iglesia verdadera. Dios nos amas. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen. (It's not perfect, but it's the truth!)

I love all of you so much. Thank you for your letters, I absolutely love them! and I will do my best to answer as many as I can. I love this Gospel, with my whole heart! This is the Lord's work and I'm glad to have the honor of wearing His name on me all the time, for the whole world to see!

With all my love,

Hermana Smith