February 9, 2015- Week 5 in Ometoxtla!

Hola!

This week was pretty good :) On Monday, it was Guillermina's birthday! We bought her a little cake and had a little party. We still don't know if she's going to get baptized soon...but we know that she's definitely thinking about it more. The other investigators that we have...well they're not really investigators anymore. None of them want to progress anymore. :( But, we're looking for new investigators and, we had the blessing of finding one yesterday! He's name is Cesar, and he is the husband of an less-active. He listened to missionaries about 3 years ago, but decided to stop investigating. But, I think we were able to win the family over yesterday, and now they love us! And he told us that he would like to learn more, just so they can teach their daughters more about God. We'll see how it goes!

The best part of the week was Saturday night, at 9:00, when the 1st counselor in the bishopric (who knows how to spell that??) came and informed us that he forgot to tell us that we were going to speak in church! We did our best to prepare that night (because church starts at 8) and hopefully it turned out ok! I really liked the topic they gave me: how to achieve eternal goals. It made me think of PPI's with my dad, Personal Progress, and the importance of our daily decisions. I absolutely love goals :) They're the best.

On Wednesday, we had a great zone conference! One of the zone leaders, Elder Masapanta, talked to us about faith. More than anything, he mentioned 6 things that destoy our faith. They are:

1. Doubt

2. Discouragement

3. Distractions

4. Lack of Diligence

5. Disobedience

6. Unbelief

I think as missionaries, it's easy to fall into one or more of these things. But it really helped me to understand that our attitudes are everything. When we aren't optimisic, we weaken our faith. When we focus on unimportant things, we weaken our faith. When we don't have an attitude of obedience, we weaken our faith. When we stop believing that we can change, that the investigators will change, that the area can change, etc., we weaken our faith. And, well, I needed to see this list and figure out how to keep from falling into one of these habits. A friend asked me this week, "What do you do to keep motivated?" And my answer is... increase your faith. Do everything you can to keep your faith growing, and the motivation will come. Maybe you won't see a lot of "fruits" from your labor, but you'll find the strengeth to keep going anyway. 

For example: After a long week of fallen appointments, "for the last time, no"´s, and crazy hot afternoons and freezing nights, my companion and I found ourselves with one of our "last hopes", a 70 year old man named Florentino. We had contacted him a few weeks ago, and were finally able to see him again. We sat outside his house to talk to him, or rather, to listen to him for almost an hour as he told us about his life. The sun was scorching hot, I kept sitting back into a wall of cactuses, and when we asked if we could come back again to share our message, he said something like, "Thank you, but I think we'll just leave it how it is." AKA: No. Before, I probably would've been upset, disappointed, without desires to keep searching... but we told him thank you, then went and contacted another person a little ways down the road. "Satan will always try to give you reasons to give up, but you have to show him that he shouldn't even bother, that you trust in God too much to give up." My best friend told me that once, and it's what I always remember when things get a little tough.

This week, I also had the blessing of having intercambios with Hermana Condé :) She came to our area, and we had a great time. We helped an hermana wash clothes by hand for 2 hours, we had a great lesson with Guillermina (she almost accepted the baptismal commitment!) and shared our mission stories :) She's a super positive and funny person, and I really enjoyed our day together.

It's gonna be a great week! I love all of you so much! Thank you for your love and prayers :) Until next week!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photo: Happy Birthday to Guillermina :)

February 2, 2015- Week 4 in Ometoxtla!

Hey everyone!

This week was a pretty normal one! Nothing too exciting happened...only a few things :)

I think I mentioned Fernando during my first week here...but we were finally able to teach him this week! He is 20 years old and really great. His family, however, does not like us very much haha. So, we have to teach him at the church, far far away from his family. But, it was a super great lesson, and it really boosted our optimism. He studied the Restoration pamphlet, even the additional study in the back, and is excited to learn more! Hopefully I'll have more news next week about him! And for the other investigators...well, for the first time in my mission, they are all reading, praying, going to church....but none of them want to set baptismal dates. Usually it's the other way around! But, I know that somehow, things will start to work out. This week, Hna Lerigeth and I have been searching for ways to increase our faith in order to see the miracles here in this area, and it was a huge blessing for us to be able to fast this week. Even though we're still not quite sure how to motivate our investigators, prayer and fasting brought a huge sense of peace to our hearts.

One thing that I got the chance to study more this week was covenants! (Seeing as our investigators don't quite understand yet why they're so amazing!) But I was studying a conference talk this week by Sister Stevens of the General Primary Presidency, and I found this quote that I really liked.

"Covenants with God help us to know who we really are. They connect us to Him in a personal way through which we come to feel our value in His sight and our place in His kingdom. In a way we can’t fully comprehend,we are known and loved individually by Him. Think of it—each of us holds such a place in His heart."

I know that this quote is 100% true. It is really hard for us to understand the love that Heavenly Father has for us, and that, in reality, every single one of us holds a special place in His heart. But, the covenants we make help us to feel that love and feel our value. I'll never forget the first time, and well every time, I went to the temple, because I could feel His love so strongly there. And the most wonderful moments of my week are when I can take the Sacrament, and feel completley and utterly embraced in His love, knowing that He loves me enough to always give me more chances to change. Covenants lead us back to Him, and they help us to understand our divine destiny as His children. The covenants I have made have helped me to stay on the path and progress. There is no other way we can grow spiritually unless we make covenants with God and apply them to every moment of our lives. 

We were also able to have a little mini conference with President this week, and he talked more about goals! He absolutely loves goals. And he is going to be asked each of us in our interviews with him about the goals we have to increase our faith in Christ this year. So, while I'm thinking about these goals, I invite all of you to think of some too :) I love all of you so much, and you're always in my heart and prayers. Have a great week!!!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photos:

-Last day of working in the field!

-Tamales and atole :) 

-Our "humble" home

-I love my companion :) She's the best

-Molotes :) (Told ya I'd send more pictures of food!)

January 26, 2015- Week 3 in Ometoxtla!

Hey everyone!

We had a pretty great week! Well, first, updates on the investigators! Gudelia is doing awesome :) We went and cut down more corn stalks on Saturday (this time for about 4 hours) and we ALMOST finished! We're going to go again tomorrow morning to finish up. There's nothing quite like cutting down corn with machetes in the morning to start off your day! But, she told us that after we showed up, a lot of other churches have been coming to visit her... aka: Satan is starting to send the trials. But she told us that she loves our message, and definitely feels the best when we come to teach her. She told us that she's been praying to know if it's true, but doesn't feel like she's recieved the answer yet. But it'll come. :) Guille is doing great as well, but is having family problems, so we haven't been able to see her very much. But we're going to go tonight, and invite her to be baptized again! She's ready, we know she is :)

Something exciting about this area is that we eat SUPER Mexican food. In my other areas, besides all the spicy food in Tehuacan, the food has been relatively normal. But here, I think I've eaten just about everything. And by Mexican food, I'm not talking about tacos and salsa, although there's a lot of those too. But more like...cow liver, freshly-killed pig heads, red rice and beans, mole, blue tortillas, fish that comes out of who-knows-where.... yup. That's the Mexican food we eat here, haha. I don't think my stomach will ever feel the same again haha. I'm going to try to take more pictues of the food so you can all enjoy it with me! :)

This weekend, we had stake conference! I realized this morning that I have been to stake conference in all three of the zones that I've been in! I don't think that happens very often! But this stake conference was wonderful :) Elder Reyes, a memeber of the Seventy here in Mexico came and spoke, along with President Stellmon and the Oaxaca Temple president. It was super great! They talked about the temple in both of the sessions, and it made me miss the temple so much! It is definitely one of the things I miss the most. But, they talked a lot about temple preparation, and why we go to the temple. And even though I've entered the temple, it has been a long time (well, 14 months) since I've been able to go. And I realized that I also need to take the time these next few months to be spiritually prepared to go to the temple again. It doesn't matter if we go to the temple for the first time or the hundreth time - we have to prepare ourselves spiritually and be truly ready to recieve the messages that the Lord has waiting for us there. The temple president used the story of Moses and the bronze serphant to illustrate the importance of temple attendance - God doesn't take away our problems. Instead, He gives us the power to overcome them. And the only way to recieve that power is by going to the temple. I think that the temple is one of the biggest manifestations of God's love for us, and I know that He wants to communicate and talk with us there. And as missionaries, our purpose to help others to come unto Christ, and help them recieve ALL the saving ordinances and endure to the end. Too many times, we focus on the baptisms, which are also super important. But even more important is helping those we baptized, and the recent converts, to get to the temple. So, Hermana Lerigeth and I have the goal this week to focus on the recent converts in our area, and specifically start helping them prepare to enter the temple.

I love all of you so much, and I hope everyone has a great week! ¡Hasta luego! 

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Sorry...no pictures this week. But next week!

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!  

​

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.

January 12- 2015- Week 1 in Ometoxtla, Cholula!

Hey everyone!

So, just like you read, I'm back in Cholula! Ometoxtla is also a little tiny town, like Ameyal, but with more people, and nicer dogs haha. I really really love it here! And I absolutely love my companion, Hermana Lerigeth! Not sure if y'all remember, but we hung out with her and Hermana Talbott a lot when we were in Atlixco, so we were really excited to be put together! She's from Sonora, Mexico and has about the same amount of time in the mission as me. It is super cold here, especially at night, but it is also really really pretty. The ward is awesome, and the members love to help out. There are tons of active members here (about 200 that attend each Sunday... if that doesn't seem like a lot, in all my other wards, the average was about 60) and we also have a couple of progressing investigators! The ones that are progressing the most are Guillermina and Gudelia :)

Guillermina has been listening to the missionaries since October, is about 45 years old, and is super amazing. She has a chronic respiratory illness... and she has had to be on oxygen all day long for the last 18 years. She has lots of other trials too, but according to Hermana Lerigeth, she has become a lot more optimistic and happy since she started listening to the missionaries. She won't accept a baptismal date, even though she wants to, because she feels like she needs to talk to her two kids about it first, but she is amazing and we love her so much.

We found Gudelia on Tuesday! We were walking down a street saw her, sitting outside her house. We called out "Buenas tardes!" And she said "Buenas tardes, hermanas!" And when people call us hermanas, that usually means that they either know us or know about the church. So we went over to talk to her, but turns out, she has never seen a missionary in her life! But she acted like she knew us. But she invited us to share our message with her, and she is super accepting. Unfortunately she wasn't able to go to church yesterday because she was sick, but she's reading and praying, so that's good! We were also able to go and do a service project at her house on Saturday. Right now, she's a wheelchair because she broke her foot, and is unable to harvest the beans and corn that she has growing behind her house. So Saturday morning, we went with the Young Women, and cut down corn stalks, husked corn and gathered beans for 3 hours! It was different and super fun :) 

On Tuesday, we also did something else that was different :) Here in Mexico, January 6th is a holiday called "Dia de Reyes" or...supposedly the day when the Wise Men came to visit Jesus. And it's the day when kids get more presents than on Christmas. It's a really big deal. So, the ward had it planned out for us, the missionaries (and there are 6 of us in the ward, 4 hermanas and 2 elders) to deliever presents to the kids of our investigators, less-actives and others who maybe don't have a lot of money. So, we made crowns, and then took the presents around to all the little kids in our areas. I felt like Santa! They were all so happy, and it was a really great experience.

One thing that I love about Hermana Lerigeth is that she is all about service. Everywhere we go, she is looking for chances to serve. It has really helped us to find new people to teach, and to gain the confidence of the members here. It's something that I hope I can learn to do too during my time here with her. We're looking forward to this last week of the transfer...we're hoping to stay together here for at least another one, but who knows what the Lord has in store for us! All I know is that this week has been great, and it's been a huge blessing.

I love all of you so very much, and I hope you have a great week!!!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photos: 

-My welcome sign :) I love Hermana Lerigeth (and her english!)

-Service! 

Me and my pretty companion :) She's drinking carrot/orange/beet juice in the one photo.... it doesn't taste so good haha
We got to be Santas/Princesses for a day :)

January 5, 2015- Week 22 in Atlixco (And the last one, well, I think)

Hey everyone!

So, I'm not really sure how to start out this email, so I'm just going to say it. I have "emergency" transfers to Cholula. President called us Saturday night, and told Hermana Pizaño that she would be ending her mission two weeks early, and leaves tomorrow. He then told me to pack up all my stuff and that I'm going to Cholula with Hermana Lerigeth for two weeks. He told me that he's not sure yet if I'm going to come back... Saturday night was really hard to say the least. We cried so much! But, I'm starting to accept it a little bit more, and well, it'll all work out. We have to be in Puebla at 6, so this email might not be as long as they usually are.

But, this week was amazing. We were able to see so much progress! It was a great last week here in Vista Hermosa. The investigatores that we have that are GOLDEN are Angel, Mary and Roberto (Jeronimo's son). Angel and Mary were a reference from an ex-mission president here in Atlixco, and they are so willing to change and learn. We taught them the Restoration this last week, and they told us that it makes perfect sense to them, and that they feel like it's true. Obviously, they're still going to pray about it, but they went to church yesterday, and they love all of it. They are going to join the church, I'm sure of it :) And Roberto...wow. Well, I told my family on Christmas that Jeronimo's nephew passed away Christmas Eve. Him and Roberto were super close, and we knew that it was going to be really hard for him. We passed by last week and give his the Plan of Salvation pamphelt, and haven't been able to see him since. But last night, we knocked on his door and he let us in! He went and got the pamphelt, then started telling us everything he had learned, and asked us so many questions... He learned everything perfectly! We just sat in awe as he told us about his questions, and how he found the answers, and how now he's praying to God! He told us that this Gospel came to him in the moment he needed it... And he's very excited to keep learning. He was disappointed to hear that there won't be any missionaries in our area for 2 weeks...but we're hoping that our ward mission leader visits him and helps him to keep progressing. 

What more can I say? I love this area. Other people could look and say that I didn't have a lot of "success" here in this area, but I did. I grew A LOT, saw a lot of people grow as well, and Jeronimno was the biggest miracle that I could ever ever ever ask for. Here, I learned that God answers prayers, but in His time. And I learned that the key to having "success" is diligence and obedience. How well you can teach, how many people you find or how well you can speak doesn't make a difference unless you're obedient and diligent. I love this work and I love being a missionary :) And who knows? Maybe I'll come back in two weeks, or in two months. But if not, the people here are going to stay in my heart forever.

"I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord." As excited as I am to go back to Cholula...I know that God's hand is in all of this, and everything is going to be just fine :) I love all of you so much, and I hope you have a great week!!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photos:

- Angel and Mary yesterday at church :)

- Graciela. She is a less-active that we've been working with for the last 5 months and she's finally re-activating! She's sad because we're leaving...but she's going to be ok :) She has changed so much, and it's been wonderful helping her come back to church.

- Our last lesson here in Atlixco with Roberto! (Doesn't he look just like Jeronimo??)

The Reyes Family. I love this people with all my heart. When President said we were going, this family and Jeronimo immediately came to my mind, and the thought of maybe not seeing them again kills me. But, they are amazing, and I'm so grateful for the time I have had with them. They've taught me a lot, and they are our family here. We would've been so lost without them.

And the last picture is mostly for my sisters... haha. Staci and Heather, I know you watch Gilmore Girls so I know you get this! There are so many of these here in Mexcio!!!! (I don't remember what they're called...) but every time I see one, I think of Stars Hollow! Haha!

December 29, 2014- Week 21 in Atlixco!

Hey everyone!

This past week was so great! Tuesday, we had our zone conference, which was really really good. Our zone leaders gave us a copy of the talk "The Fourth Missionary", and my companion and I have been studying it all week. It is a really great talk, because it talks about the difference between good missionaries and extraordinary ones. Even though I may not have a lot of time left to be "the fourth missionary", and even less Hermana Pizaño, we both decided that we are going to use the precious time we have left to be that missionary. We set some goals, and hopefully we can do it. After the conference, I also asked our district leader for a blessing. For some reason, I just wasn't feeling super great, and needed a bit of guidance, and that's exactly what I got. My testimony of the Priesthood has increased so much on the mission, and every time I've received a blessing, I'm overwhelmed with the feeling that God knows me personally. 

Wednesday was Christmas Eve! It was like a normal day...except we ate SOOO much food, and no one was home for us to visit! The most exciting part when the Christmas dinner, and we had permission to relax and enjoy ourseves a bit. We went with our second family, The Reyes, and played games, ate great food and laughed a lot. They're definitely the closest thing to my real family here, and I'm glad I had the chance to spend a little bit of Christmas with them. And Christmas Day was amazing because I got to talk to my family!!! Best Christmas present ever :)

Friday and Saturday, I was able to go with Hermana Poot on a companion exchange. It was really nice to be in a different area for a little bit, and we had a really great time. We were able to visit some less-actives in the ward, and help them to feel the need to come back to church. I also ate a plate of sardines for lunch that day! I've eaten a lot of weird things here...but I think that was by far the worst, haha! 

Yesterday was a great day. Church was awesome (like always!) and then we were able to meet a LOT of less-actives that live in our area. A lot of them aren't in the ward directory, but we asked a member to show us where they live, and we were able to see and teach a lot of them. And a lot of them are willing to come back, they just need to work a little bit :) One of the families is the family Martinez Arrevillaga. They're a family of 5, in-active for about 4 years, and say that they don't really know why they stopped going. But they are really wonderful, and the lesson we had with them was so powerful and the Spirit was so strong. At the end of the lesson, we asked them, "Do you have the desire to return back, and start living the Gospel again?" None of them said or did anything for a moment...but then the dad, José Manual, started to slowly nod his head, with tears rolling down his cheeks. His 17 year old son, Miguel said, "I do, Hermanas. I do." And the others also joined in with "Sí, hermanas!" We're going to visit them again this next Saturday :) Right now, we are searching for new investigators, but we are seeing a lot of progress with the less-actives. It's been great :)

Jeronimo received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday!! :) I think next week, he's going to help bless the Sacrament! So exciting :)

I read a talk this week by Elder Holland, and in it was a quote that I really like. "Every experience can be a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through that difficulty. These difficult lessons teach us that man's extremity is God's opportunity and if we are humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples - or at least into a circumstance that can bring comfort, and revelation, divine companionship and peace."Man's extremity is God's opportunity. God gives us lots of opportunities to learn and grow, and for that, I'm really grateful :) Sometimes, the situations aren't easy...but in the end, it's worth it.

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

Love always,

Hermana Smith

December 22, 2014- Week 20 in Atlixco! And Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I can't believe it's already Christmas! Well, this week has been a crazy one, mostly because of all the "extra" things we had to do. On Thursday, we had the ward Christmas Party. I'm just gonna say it, a Mexican Christmas dinner is NOT the same thing as an American one. But it was really fun. All of the organizations presented a musical number and lots of non-members were able to attend. All in all, it was really successful! :) Then, on Friday, we had our mission Christmas conference! Atlixco combined with another zone, Izucar, and it was super fun! President Stellmon started it out with a devotional which was super great, then we played games and did "White Elephant". And then yesterday was super great! The stake performed a Christmas concert, with a huge choir, instruments, and videos of the Savior's life. We have been inviting and promoting this event for the last month or so, and yesterday, about 4 hours before the performance, all the missionaries started getting on buses, combis, standing on street corners, everything, and we just contacted everyone we saw. And the turnout with really great! And a lot of non-members gave us their addresses to come visit them. It was a really cool activity. :)

The best part of the week was being able to teach Roberto, Jeronimo's son. We were able to see him twice this week, and we can see that he has the desire to learn and change. He is about 35 years old, lives alone, is a lawyer and really doesn't trust in anyone, even his family. Jeronimo gave us the reference, telling us that his son would probably never even let us in his house. But he has :) Just goes to show that we shouldn't ever judge others, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. He told us that he wants to find himself spiritually, but feels like it would conflict with his career. So, we were a little hesitant at first, thinking that he wouldn't do any on his commitments, but he did! We visited him Saturday morning, and told us that he had read quite a bit of the Book of Mormon, and that he wants to know if it's true. I think the one person more astonished than us was Jeronimo when we told him! Hopefully he keeps letting us come back :)

I have two Christmas quotes that I want to share :) 

"Jesus Christ is the Light of Bethlehem, born of Mary, His mortal mother, and His Father, Almighty God...He is the Light of the Atonement fulfilled in the Garden of Gethsemane and on Golgotha, who took upon Himself the sins of the world, that all mankind may obtain eternal salvation. He is the Light of the empty tomb, the resurrected Lord with a glorified body of flesh and bone, who broke the bands of death and gained an everlasting victory over the grave. ... He is my Light, my Redeemer, my Savior - and yours."

-Elder Robert D. Hales

"Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who condescended to come into this world of misery, struggle, and pain to touch men's hearts for good, to teach the way of eternal life, and to give Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. How different, how empty our lives would be without Him. How infinite is our opportunity for exaltation made possible through His redeeming love."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

With Christmas just a few days away, I hope we all can take the time to think about the Savior. Just as President Hinckley said, our lives would be so different and so empty without His life, love and Atonement. And with that love, we have all the possibilities of the world. I know that my life would be completely different now if it wasn't for my Savior and His love for me. I have felt so blessed these last few weeks to be able to testify more of Christ than I have my whole mission. During this time, everyone is remembering Him, and many of them are trying to find Him. I know that Christ lives, and I know that His Atonement is perfect and infinite. We all have the opportunity to repent and change through His sacrifice, and that power never runs out. As many times as we come to Him with a willingness to change, He will accept us and help us to do so. I love Christ, and I'm so grateful for the time of year to think even more of Him and His mission. 

I love you all so much!!!!!! Have a very great Christmas and week!!! :)

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photo: Last night after the stake activity :) I kinda look creepy with red eyes...but oh well!

December 15, 2014- Week 19 in Atlixco!

Hey everyone!

Well, I'll tell you all the big news. For the first week of the transfer, I was put in a trio!!! So, early Tuesday morning, Hermana Traylor and I went to the mission home so that she could go to her training meeting. (Btw, President Stellmon and Hermana Stellmon act just like our parents. President made us toast and hot cocoa for breakfast, then when we sat on the couch, they gave us blankets so that we wouldn't be cold! It was so sweet!) The scary part was that, during the meeting, President kept talking about how this was going to be a "transfer of tests and trials" for me and that I need to remember that the Lord had picked my companion for a reason. To say the least, the hours before the transfers meeting were long and stressful! Before he announced the changes, he told everyone that there would be 6 trios in the mission...and at that moment I know I was going to be in one of them! I could just feel it! He announced my companions...and I'm not going to lie, I was nervous. But really, I had no need to be, they are absolutely great :) Hermana Pizaño (from Guadalajara) is finishing her mission this transfer, and Hermana Aguilar (from Honduras) has 10 months in the mission. We had a wonderful week together, with lots of laughs and lots of hard work. However, last night around 9:00, we got the call from the assistants, and told us that our time together had come to an end. We took Hermana Aguilar to Puebla this morning, and from there she went to Tehuacán. So now, it's just Hermana Pizaño and I :) I know that she and I have a lot to learn together, and I'm really happy to still be here in Atlixco. It will be another great transfer :)

Well, this week we found a lot of empty houses, haha! Just kidding, kinda! Saturday was the best day. We're back to teaching Sara and Andres (who had baptismal dates in October) and we are also teaching the english teacher, Ana, now! We had a super great first lesson with her and her family. The Spirit was so strong, and I know that she could feel it. We're really hoping to see her progress :) The less-actives are really starting to warm up to us now :) Now, they actually smile when they see us, and invite us to come back. None of them were able to come to church yesterday, but one day I know they will :) We have 2 great Christmas activities planned for the week, and we're hoping to see a lot of them there! 

I really like this quote. To be honest, I haven't had a Christmas where I feel like I've truly had the "spirit of Christmas". And...I think that is oen my trials in this "transfer of trials and tests" - to see if I can have Christ-like love and show it. I'm not going to lie...I've prayed a lot for the gift of charity this past week. My companion is great, super excellent, but we are very different, and the first couple of days, even though we got along ok, it was hard to have good, positive feelings. Maybe it's something that I shouldn't say here, but I do think that it's important to share. It's important to me to share with each of you that God answers our prayers. I'm not saying that I now have perfect Christ-like love for everyone I see, because that's not possible. But I have experienced a change of heart, at least in the aspect of my relationship with my companion. The things she says doesn't affect me as much as they did. The things she does (or doesn't do) don't irritate me as much. I've been blessed with the chance to get to know her and see her in a different light, and I know that all of these things have been answers to my prayers. ...Tuesday during the transfers meeting, President said something that I haven't been able to get out of my mind. He said, "For many of you, this is the transfer where you will find out that truly God lives and that He knows you personally". And I'm pretty sure that this is just the start of all that.  

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Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic week! I love you all so much!!!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photo: My companions :) Hermana Pizaño, Hermana Aguilar and me (remember when I said while in Tehuacan that I'll come home as a bowling ball?? Well, it think it's coming true haha! Oh well!)

December 8, 2014- Week 18 In Atlixco! (And the best week so far!!!)

Hey everyone!

So this week was fantastic! By far, the best moment was Jeronimo's baptism! Everything went super great this week with him. His interview went great, the baptism was perfect, and yesterday at church, he bore his testimony about his conversion story! It was the most perfect moment ever. I was crying like a baby. To be honest, I think everyone in sacrament meeting yesterday was crying like babies. Sometimes I how I was so blessed to be here, right now, in order to meet and teach this wonderful man. He has changed our lives, and we're never going to forget him :)

Good news! My little Hermana Traylor is pregnant! Haha she's going to start training a new hermana tomorrow :) (In the mission, I'm her "step-mom" so I'm going to be a "step-grandma"!) I'm super duper excited for her. And we're happy that after 7 1/2 months here in Vista Hermosa, she's finally leaving! As for me, I'll be staying in Vista Hermosa for at least another transfer! I'm pretty sure I'm still going to be a sister training leader...so yay! I can't wait for tomorrow to find out who my new companion is going to be :) We're going to have a great 6 weeks! And I'm so happy that I'm still going to be here for Christmas! 2 members have already promised us turkey for Christmas Eve and Christmas, so I'm super excited :)

Karla wasn't able to get baptized this week due to complications with her school schedule...but we're going to work really hard with her these next few weeks so that she can be baptized soon :) She was feeling ready when we saw her this week, so I don't think it'll be too long :) 

Miracle story! So, before I came to this area 4 months ago. Hermana Traylor and Hermana Jones received a reference from a member...but all they knew was that the woman teaches english and lives in Casas Geo. We didn't even know her name, except that it starts with an A. The member who gave us the reference doesn't know the woman very well, but told us that she saw her and felt that she needed to send the missionaries to her. Since then, we have searched and searched for her. About 2 months ago, we found a woman named Adriana who teaches english...but when we showed her a picture of the sister who gave us the reference, she had no idea who she was! So we kept searching. Anywho, on Saturday, we were sitting, waiting for the combi, when a woman, leaving Casas Geo, asked us if we wanted a ride. (People normally don't do that.) She had her kids there too, so we got in. I sat up front with her, and she started talking to me in English! In that moment, I felt in my heart that this was the woman that we had been searching for! I asked her what her name was...and it's Ana! Then I asked her if she knew Claudia (the member) and she said YES! She told us that we could come visit her whenever we were free, and that she would gladly listen to our message! After 4 months of looking, we found the english teacher that lives in Casa Geo!!! When we told Claudia, she was so excited! Once again, it strengthened my testimony that God knows each one of his children, and he guides us to those who need us, in the exact moment that they need us. Actually, this week was full of God's "tender mercies" and I know that He loves us, and is aware of us and our needs.

​As we have been studying Christ this last week during our personal study, I have just been moved by how great of a person Christ really was. His life and mission was so great, and he did everything that our Father sent him here to do. And the way that we can find peace and happiness in our lives is if we apply His example to our lives in a "moving, dynamic, vitalizing" way. That is definitely something I haven't been able to accomplish yet, but I hope that I can soon! I've been thinking a lot about that this week, and really, being on a mission is the perfect opportunity to be as Christ-like as possible. Being a missionary has been such a blessing, because I have felt a grand change in myself over the past year. Maybe others can't quite see it, but I can definitely feel it. But this is definitely not the only time period I have to be more Christ-like. It is a life-long journey, and it's never going to end. And maybe the thing I've learned the most here is exactly that: that being more Christ-like should always be our goal, and that through the Atonement, we can do it.

Well, I love all of you so much! You're always in my heart and prayers :) Have a fantastic week!

Love always,

Hermana Smith

Photos:

The Baptism!!! Jeronimo's little granddaughter came to support him, and so did Hermana Ramirez! 

-Happy Birthday to Hermana Traylor on Saturday!!! We had a lot of fun :) It was a great day!-One hermana in the ward, Norma, is from Peru and she always makes us food from there! This week was the best one yet! I loved it!

-Karla, Ximena and Carlos :) This family is so great, and they help us out so much. They always accompany us when they can and they're always willing to give us/our investigators rides. 

-Left to Right: Leo, Elvira, Jose and Dionisia :) These members have saved our lives here, and I love them so much! Especially Elvira! (She's the cute one with her hands up) She is like our mom :)

-We helped them decorate the tree! (Elvira and her sons Uri and Irvin)