Hola familia!!
I think I say this every letter, but at every moment it´s true: this week has absolutely FLOWN BY. I´m glad your trip to see some cali coasts went well!! I have been receiving your pictures, every one of them, and I appreciate them so much. hang on, did you guys get a new car? or is that just a random car coming out of the tree?
anywhoo...i literally was bawling (on the inside...we´re in a public library; i can´t make a scene) looking at the picures of m´leighs BEAUTIFUL RECEPTION and that WHITNEY IS GOING TO ITALY AND WE ARE GOING TO BE NEIGHBORS. I kid you not, i think i´m going to break some rules if she comes to the spain mtc for italy. kid. you. not. thats probably why presidents going to send me to the north or to the islands during christmas. haha ok not really. i can just see sister jackson reading this letter....
This week, I have been trying to work my hardest at being a successful missionary and it´s incredibly difficult when time is not on your side! Honestly, the devil and time are your worst enemies on the mission. Though, our written number goals don´t look like a lot of progress, we´ve worked more with the members and with our inactives and recent converts this week. I feel like, even though they may not be doing their part as members, we as missionaries still try. We have been TRYING and TRYING and TRYING to have the leaders show the missionary broadcast. We just can´t understand why our stake hasnt seen it. i mean, seriously, its a mini general conference! the Profet and Apóstoles are speaking to us DIRECTLY AS MEMBERS AND AS REPRESENTIVES OF JESUCRISTO. President´s working on him though. I´m so glad president jacksons american. It´s great that you are asking that dad, because the members are so incredibly vital in missionary work. As a bishop, I think that best thing you can do is to make sure the leaders are doing their job and also, to TEACH THEM the importance of what they saw in the broadcast. The things that they told us ARE NOT SUGGESTIONS. When an Apostal or the Profet SAY something, THEY EXPECT ACTION. Not only is it difficult here in spain, but its difficult in the states. I´m writing this elder in Kansas (long story about him but nada romantic...sheesh) but i liked what he said here, ´´So in your mission do you try to focus on getting more members involved since the world wide broadcast, that is what we are trying to do here, but the members just don't seem to be jumping on board, the youth answered the call to serve now it's up to the adults to answer the call to be member missionaries. So sometimes I say to myself "Come on members, pick up the phone already!" ´´ EXACTAMENTE, elder black! well said! I second what Bishop Tidwell told me about you dad, he said that he´s sad to be released, but that ´´your dad has talents that i don´t have and that the ward needs now´´ and thats so true. if anyone can get people to work and to understand the importance of it, thats you. You have been specifically called as Bishop at this time so that you can lead these members into action!!
This week, i have tried to focus more on families and their attendance to sacrament. I have felt that utmost need for their salvation. It´s difficult to witness them not partake of something absolutely wonderful. I was talking with Hermana Stepp and she was asking me what is my mini mission. I didn´t understand her at first, but she explained that a mini mission is a personal mission you have as well as the mission you´re in right now. When she asked that, I told her my mission was just to be an obedient missionary and thats all i needed to focus on. Now, I feel like it´s more focused on bringing those families to the temple.
I´m by far not a perfect missionary, but like Elder Holland said, we are all the Lord has and I am willing and striving to be that obedient missionary, so that I feel in my heart that I´ve done my part and I can feel the Lord´s approval, like the scripture say´s, ´´Well done, my good and faithful servant´´.
I love you all very much!! keep up the awesome work and GOD BE WITH YOU ´TIL WE MEET AGAIN!! (when his blah blah guide up hoooooold you.....something blah blah blah securly fooooooooolld you....)
Hermana Smith
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
August 19, 2013
Hola Familia!!!
It sounds like all of y´all are having a splendid time! Poor jason must be besides himself with busyness because he forgot to write the most important person in his world....
but anywhoo wow what a week. (ooo synonems. or antonyms? hmm...) it flew by for me and it completely blows my mind that my last week of the transfer is next week. I kid you not, I was not expecting that!! As the saying goes, time flys when you´re having fun! It also reminds me of a quote that´s on our wall in the piso, ´´Live each day like it´s the last day of your mission!´´ I have been going back to that quote for awhile and I love it. But it´s so true, because the next thing I know, I´m going home!! And I am SO not ready for that right now. whitney even wrote to me and she said that my mission was 1/3 finished! and my hearts screaming NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
This week, I´ve been trying to work my hardest at seeing some action from our investigators. And man, has it been difficult!! I talked about Adelson last week and so I knew we needed to crack down a little on him. But then he decides to take a roadtrip! But my mind is focused and I am not forgetting my duty as a missionary. He has a sister who is just SO sweet and we´ve been trying to talk with her without really scary her off (I think before she was a jehovas witness) and just today we ran into her on the metro! Hermana Stepp has been trying to find someone to cut her hair and we find out that she was a hair dresser in Columbia! Oh, how the Lord works His ways!! It´s so amazing, because as a missionary, the Lord wants you to succeed. oooh i just get goose bumps thinking about all this!!
I´m not going to lie, you missed an amazing baptism!! I have never felt the Spirit so strongly and I thought my heart was going to burst! We finally met Gregorio´s wife, Judit and she is a GEM. We got to talk to her for awhile while Gregorio was getting dressed and she said that it´s so difficult for her to get time off of work because she´s wanted to come sit in the lessons with us! Also, she said she trys to read in the Book of Mormon, but it´s difficult for her to read the small letters, but then she said that Gregorio sometimes reads to her. OH MY GOODNESS. I thought my heart was going to burst! We asked if we could come over sometime and she said she´d love too because she´d love to learn more about everything. Also, when Gregorio was getting baptized, she said that she could see herself doing that soon!! (OHMYGOSHMYFIRSTTEMPLECOUPLE). Everything went so much better, despite the stress of it all. And for days, Gregorio was preparing his testimony and had written everything down on pieces of paper! When he went up there to give it, he thanked everyone, including us, for helping him better his life and that, ´´Sé que el Señor nos ama´´. I´m sorry, but that´s huge! He has grown so much! The Spirit has literally never been stronger in my life, I kid you not. I was holding someones hand on my left and clutching hermana stepps skirt on my right and making little ´´OOOOOHH!!´´ noises. a little embarrassing, but i dont care.
It´s been super difficult to reach number goals because there are literally zero peeps on the street and its showing in our weekly numbers! Reaching our goals has been huge for me this week and so even though I´m not reaching goals by numbers, i´ve been trying for people, and that is more fulfilling. I feel my mission has been more inriched and that just testifies to me that the Lord loves us so much. The mission has strengthened my testimony and by doing so, it as also strengthened myself. Every day, I have never regretted my decision to serve. I don´t even recognize the person I was before!
I love you all so much! oh ya, i went to toledo today. I have never felt like i´ve been in spain before until toledo. its pretty, but also pretty touristy.
have a fantastic week!!
love y hugs
hermana esmit
It sounds like all of y´all are having a splendid time! Poor jason must be besides himself with busyness because he forgot to write the most important person in his world....
but anywhoo wow what a week. (ooo synonems. or antonyms? hmm...) it flew by for me and it completely blows my mind that my last week of the transfer is next week. I kid you not, I was not expecting that!! As the saying goes, time flys when you´re having fun! It also reminds me of a quote that´s on our wall in the piso, ´´Live each day like it´s the last day of your mission!´´ I have been going back to that quote for awhile and I love it. But it´s so true, because the next thing I know, I´m going home!! And I am SO not ready for that right now. whitney even wrote to me and she said that my mission was 1/3 finished! and my hearts screaming NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
This week, I´ve been trying to work my hardest at seeing some action from our investigators. And man, has it been difficult!! I talked about Adelson last week and so I knew we needed to crack down a little on him. But then he decides to take a roadtrip! But my mind is focused and I am not forgetting my duty as a missionary. He has a sister who is just SO sweet and we´ve been trying to talk with her without really scary her off (I think before she was a jehovas witness) and just today we ran into her on the metro! Hermana Stepp has been trying to find someone to cut her hair and we find out that she was a hair dresser in Columbia! Oh, how the Lord works His ways!! It´s so amazing, because as a missionary, the Lord wants you to succeed. oooh i just get goose bumps thinking about all this!!
I´m not going to lie, you missed an amazing baptism!! I have never felt the Spirit so strongly and I thought my heart was going to burst! We finally met Gregorio´s wife, Judit and she is a GEM. We got to talk to her for awhile while Gregorio was getting dressed and she said that it´s so difficult for her to get time off of work because she´s wanted to come sit in the lessons with us! Also, she said she trys to read in the Book of Mormon, but it´s difficult for her to read the small letters, but then she said that Gregorio sometimes reads to her. OH MY GOODNESS. I thought my heart was going to burst! We asked if we could come over sometime and she said she´d love too because she´d love to learn more about everything. Also, when Gregorio was getting baptized, she said that she could see herself doing that soon!! (OHMYGOSHMYFIRSTTEMPLECOUPLE). Everything went so much better, despite the stress of it all. And for days, Gregorio was preparing his testimony and had written everything down on pieces of paper! When he went up there to give it, he thanked everyone, including us, for helping him better his life and that, ´´Sé que el Señor nos ama´´. I´m sorry, but that´s huge! He has grown so much! The Spirit has literally never been stronger in my life, I kid you not. I was holding someones hand on my left and clutching hermana stepps skirt on my right and making little ´´OOOOOHH!!´´ noises. a little embarrassing, but i dont care.
It´s been super difficult to reach number goals because there are literally zero peeps on the street and its showing in our weekly numbers! Reaching our goals has been huge for me this week and so even though I´m not reaching goals by numbers, i´ve been trying for people, and that is more fulfilling. I feel my mission has been more inriched and that just testifies to me that the Lord loves us so much. The mission has strengthened my testimony and by doing so, it as also strengthened myself. Every day, I have never regretted my decision to serve. I don´t even recognize the person I was before!
I love you all so much! oh ya, i went to toledo today. I have never felt like i´ve been in spain before until toledo. its pretty, but also pretty touristy.
have a fantastic week!!
love y hugs
hermana esmit
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
August 13, 2013
Hola Familia!!
This week was SUPER. Our apartment has been falling apart lately and so this repair guy comes at a really not so good time. not so good as in my hair was all wet, we were studying, and i was half in my pj´s. so we leave our door open of the study room so that he can come in with questions and i literally forget about him. next thing i know a man´s voice speaks spanish RIGHT behind me and i go AAHHH!! kinda like home alone. i turn around and he´s looking at me really shocked then say´s, BOO. madre mia. these spaniards are so weird. or just europeans in general. man i really miss america. but golly was that embarrassing.
but this week was good! its flown by, like every week in the mission. makes me super sad, because i´ll be hitting my 5 months next week and i am just so flabbergasted!! Time is not your friend in the mission.
we´ve been planning for our baptism with a spaniard named Gregorio. He is so ready. just blows my mind!! but my columbian, Adelson, is doing great! Well, he doesn´t have a baptismal date yet, but he has such a strong testimony of the book of mormon. its been a little difficult to teach him because his niece and daughter are sometimes in lessons and it gets a little er rowdy, but we get along well. in one of these lessons, he wanted to show us a picture on his phone; it was his background picture of the madrid temple and he had added these words ´´La Iglesia Verdadera´´
EEEEEPPP!!! oh my heart just burst with happiness!! its so hard to keep a neutral face as a missionary sometimes!! oh he literally makes me sing. i can´t say his name without putting my hand over my heart. so the next lesson we had was just him and we asked him about baptism. he wants to be baptized but he said he wants an eternal family with his daughter and ex wife!! he was so sad that he can´t have his family with him, but we testifyed to him of eternal families. he is so worried because his ex wife is very catholic and his daughter (who is 8) wants to get baptized in this church because she say´s she likes the way we pray :) oh my corazon. its so complicated.
we were plannin on going to toledo this week, but instead we´ll do it next week. my old district leader, Elder Pizarro, just found out that his mom has cancer and his dad doesn´t have work :( we´re super worried for him and he said his family might have to move to america for jobs. we´re praying that all goes well for him and his family :(
This transfer has been a little slow. mostly because all of madrid decided to leave for vacations and there are literally NO ONE out. sundays? zip. From 2pm to 7 pm? nada. it has been very trying for me. but i will appreciate the fall and springs even more!!
i´m doing just fine with my companion :) she is amazing in lessons. thanks for the story of you and griz though!! it always makes me smile :) and makes me miss griz :( but thats ok. he´ll still be there when i go home.
Nothing else really happened this week! But i just want you to know how grateful i am for every little letter or message i get. it warms my heart knowing that i have loved ones so far away. I am so grateful to be on this mission. i´m grateful for the calling that i have a invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo. Everyday, i am thankful for what i have, now and for eternity. I have a strong testimony of jesus christ and what he has done for each and every one of us. I can´t wait for the day when i can be wrapped in his arms again. it has literally been a dream of mine. know that i love you very much and that you are all great examples to me. keep the letters coming and i love you!!
Con amor, para siempre,
Hermana Smith
This week was SUPER. Our apartment has been falling apart lately and so this repair guy comes at a really not so good time. not so good as in my hair was all wet, we were studying, and i was half in my pj´s. so we leave our door open of the study room so that he can come in with questions and i literally forget about him. next thing i know a man´s voice speaks spanish RIGHT behind me and i go AAHHH!! kinda like home alone. i turn around and he´s looking at me really shocked then say´s, BOO. madre mia. these spaniards are so weird. or just europeans in general. man i really miss america. but golly was that embarrassing.
but this week was good! its flown by, like every week in the mission. makes me super sad, because i´ll be hitting my 5 months next week and i am just so flabbergasted!! Time is not your friend in the mission.
we´ve been planning for our baptism with a spaniard named Gregorio. He is so ready. just blows my mind!! but my columbian, Adelson, is doing great! Well, he doesn´t have a baptismal date yet, but he has such a strong testimony of the book of mormon. its been a little difficult to teach him because his niece and daughter are sometimes in lessons and it gets a little er rowdy, but we get along well. in one of these lessons, he wanted to show us a picture on his phone; it was his background picture of the madrid temple and he had added these words ´´La Iglesia Verdadera´´
EEEEEPPP!!! oh my heart just burst with happiness!! its so hard to keep a neutral face as a missionary sometimes!! oh he literally makes me sing. i can´t say his name without putting my hand over my heart. so the next lesson we had was just him and we asked him about baptism. he wants to be baptized but he said he wants an eternal family with his daughter and ex wife!! he was so sad that he can´t have his family with him, but we testifyed to him of eternal families. he is so worried because his ex wife is very catholic and his daughter (who is 8) wants to get baptized in this church because she say´s she likes the way we pray :) oh my corazon. its so complicated.
we were plannin on going to toledo this week, but instead we´ll do it next week. my old district leader, Elder Pizarro, just found out that his mom has cancer and his dad doesn´t have work :( we´re super worried for him and he said his family might have to move to america for jobs. we´re praying that all goes well for him and his family :(
This transfer has been a little slow. mostly because all of madrid decided to leave for vacations and there are literally NO ONE out. sundays? zip. From 2pm to 7 pm? nada. it has been very trying for me. but i will appreciate the fall and springs even more!!
i´m doing just fine with my companion :) she is amazing in lessons. thanks for the story of you and griz though!! it always makes me smile :) and makes me miss griz :( but thats ok. he´ll still be there when i go home.
Nothing else really happened this week! But i just want you to know how grateful i am for every little letter or message i get. it warms my heart knowing that i have loved ones so far away. I am so grateful to be on this mission. i´m grateful for the calling that i have a invitar a las personas a venir a Cristo. Everyday, i am thankful for what i have, now and for eternity. I have a strong testimony of jesus christ and what he has done for each and every one of us. I can´t wait for the day when i can be wrapped in his arms again. it has literally been a dream of mine. know that i love you very much and that you are all great examples to me. keep the letters coming and i love you!!
Con amor, para siempre,
Hermana Smith
Monday, August 5, 2013
August 5, 2013
HAAAPPPY BIIIRRTTHHDDAAAYY DADDY!! We celebrated your birthday by fasting. I hope your cake was good!!
Hola Familia!!
I hope life is going spectacular and you are enjoying the hot weather. we´ve been enjoying our time in the heat too. i´ve got some nice tanlines to show off the fruits of my labors.
This week was really good and it has been a good process with the whole companionship changes. i´ve finally got my ´´sea legs´´ on so things were going smoother!
to start off the week, we taught this family from the area book and when we showed up, it was a full house!! they´re a couple with their 10 year old daughter and then they had friends over, so i got a little nervous with the huge crowd, but it turned out really well. they like our church, but when they had gone to church, they didn´t like how things were done. we decided to share 3 nefi 11:14 with them and we talked about Christ and man was that a quiet room!! it was absolultely amazing being able to bare testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. its absolutely amazing because my spanish is dang good when i´m speaking in lessons and on the streets but every other time, i am that 5 month old missionary learning spanish. something hermana stepp said was great (because her spanish is almost as bad as mine). she was talking to mtc missionarys and their usual questions are about the spanish progression and she said, ´´i speak really good spanish when i have the spirit with me!´´ and how true is that! i don´t worry about my spanish really. i know that as long as i´m an obedient missionary and do the work i am assigned to do, i have nothing to worry about. when i am in a trouble-ish situation, i don´t worry about it. i mean ya i do but i know i have the greatest companions on my side and no one can fight that.
we had a great zone training meeting (this one didn´t last for 4 hours) and it was great. they´ve asked us to focus more on families because our goal for baptism is 1000 and we can reach that goal with families. we´ve been really praying for family opportunities and also focusing more on our less active families and the families that are investigating the church. its a little difficult because we like to contact small groups and not feel like the center of attention, but we gotta do what the Lord wants us to do! its a great opportunity to grow as a missionary.
oh my gosh, i AM SO LOVING THE MISSION!!! its hard and difficult and sometimes i wanna just sit on a bench and watch people walk past, but i always think of what hermana hansen said to me about rejection from people ´´its ok. when we die and go to the spirit world, they´ll be there and they´ll thank us for trying.´´ wow. how powerful. then i thought of what would happen if they came up to me afterwards and said, ´´why didn´t you talk to me??´´ AH i get this fat panic feeling in my chest!!! because its so true! This work that we are doing is an Eternal work. Souls are at risk here!! Hermana stepp says this same phrase when people ask us where we´re going: we´re going to save some souls!! i always rolled my eyes at that remark, but its true. as cliché as it sounds, its true.
Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement. Know that each of your letter uplifts me more each week. I´m sorry I can´t answer all your questions, but if you´d like, write them down and send them with the package!! And speaking of package....mommy? Can you stick in: white v necks hanes or fruit of the loom (or whatever its called) package in small and medium. they´re in walmart :) also, i want más fotosof friends and family!
oh and
-German chocolate cake mix and/or white/yellow cake mix
-Concealer stick Covergirl + Olay 320 fair/light
-Zebra pens (jason will know what i´m talking about)
-reeses :D
oh and dad and jason? can you stick the new bible videos on a dvd for me? they´re great help for our investigators and we wished we had more access to them.
thats all!!! i love you guys sooooooooooooo much!! You are my insperation....family!!
and no i don´t go shopping shopping shopping every week.
but i did today because i´m wearing the same 3 shirts in a row everyday. its getting a little stinky and old.
LES QUIERO UN MONTON!!!!!
Hermana Esmit
oh and i heard that i can order a chapa with Esmit on it!! AH YEAH!
Oh and can you ask mama bert if she knows Sister Stepp from the family history center? she worked on the 2nd floor. our grandmothers might know eachother!!
Hola Familia!!
I hope life is going spectacular and you are enjoying the hot weather. we´ve been enjoying our time in the heat too. i´ve got some nice tanlines to show off the fruits of my labors.
This week was really good and it has been a good process with the whole companionship changes. i´ve finally got my ´´sea legs´´ on so things were going smoother!
to start off the week, we taught this family from the area book and when we showed up, it was a full house!! they´re a couple with their 10 year old daughter and then they had friends over, so i got a little nervous with the huge crowd, but it turned out really well. they like our church, but when they had gone to church, they didn´t like how things were done. we decided to share 3 nefi 11:14 with them and we talked about Christ and man was that a quiet room!! it was absolultely amazing being able to bare testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. its absolutely amazing because my spanish is dang good when i´m speaking in lessons and on the streets but every other time, i am that 5 month old missionary learning spanish. something hermana stepp said was great (because her spanish is almost as bad as mine). she was talking to mtc missionarys and their usual questions are about the spanish progression and she said, ´´i speak really good spanish when i have the spirit with me!´´ and how true is that! i don´t worry about my spanish really. i know that as long as i´m an obedient missionary and do the work i am assigned to do, i have nothing to worry about. when i am in a trouble-ish situation, i don´t worry about it. i mean ya i do but i know i have the greatest companions on my side and no one can fight that.
we had a great zone training meeting (this one didn´t last for 4 hours) and it was great. they´ve asked us to focus more on families because our goal for baptism is 1000 and we can reach that goal with families. we´ve been really praying for family opportunities and also focusing more on our less active families and the families that are investigating the church. its a little difficult because we like to contact small groups and not feel like the center of attention, but we gotta do what the Lord wants us to do! its a great opportunity to grow as a missionary.
oh my gosh, i AM SO LOVING THE MISSION!!! its hard and difficult and sometimes i wanna just sit on a bench and watch people walk past, but i always think of what hermana hansen said to me about rejection from people ´´its ok. when we die and go to the spirit world, they´ll be there and they´ll thank us for trying.´´ wow. how powerful. then i thought of what would happen if they came up to me afterwards and said, ´´why didn´t you talk to me??´´ AH i get this fat panic feeling in my chest!!! because its so true! This work that we are doing is an Eternal work. Souls are at risk here!! Hermana stepp says this same phrase when people ask us where we´re going: we´re going to save some souls!! i always rolled my eyes at that remark, but its true. as cliché as it sounds, its true.
Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement. Know that each of your letter uplifts me more each week. I´m sorry I can´t answer all your questions, but if you´d like, write them down and send them with the package!! And speaking of package....mommy? Can you stick in: white v necks hanes or fruit of the loom (or whatever its called) package in small and medium. they´re in walmart :) also, i want más fotosof friends and family!
oh and
-German chocolate cake mix and/or white/yellow cake mix
-Concealer stick Covergirl + Olay 320 fair/light
-Zebra pens (jason will know what i´m talking about)
-reeses :D
oh and dad and jason? can you stick the new bible videos on a dvd for me? they´re great help for our investigators and we wished we had more access to them.
thats all!!! i love you guys sooooooooooooo much!! You are my insperation....family!!
and no i don´t go shopping shopping shopping every week.
but i did today because i´m wearing the same 3 shirts in a row everyday. its getting a little stinky and old.
LES QUIERO UN MONTON!!!!!
Hermana Esmit
oh and i heard that i can order a chapa with Esmit on it!! AH YEAH!
Oh and can you ask mama bert if she knows Sister Stepp from the family history center? she worked on the 2nd floor. our grandmothers might know eachother!!
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