Easter Week, Samana Santa

Hola Hola! 

This week was the most Catholic week of my entire life! Jaja, but in spite of that it was pretty good. Easter week--Semana Santa--started down here, which means two things: #1) everyone goes out of town and #2) the Catholic church does a bunch of traditional things. There are big groups of people in the streets every night carrying crosses and singing and worshiping in their own unique way! Jaja, the 11th Article of Faith has never rung so true for me. 

On Wednesday we were walking down the street and this little old lady was walking the other way. We stopped her to talk to her about the church....or tried to! We didn't get two words in before she started talking about all the crazy dreams she has had where God told her that the Catholic church is the true church! In a world as confused as ours she is among the most lost of them all. But then before I knew what was happening she started doing the cross thing to me! Jaja, I was scared at first! I leaned away and wasn't going to let her do it! But she insisted... after that she turned around and walked away, leaving me stunned, and Elder Ruiz laughing his head off at the bewildered look on my face! 

Then on Friday we went to visit Xiomara and Consuelo. They both live in a part of our area that is about fifteen minutes away from our house by bus, so we always visit them on the same day. We had two great lessons, they both accepted the challenge to be baptized! Nothing is final still but it's a great first step! We were excited,to put it lightly! And then on the way out we saw Consuelo's husband, Miguel Angel. He is a great guy, but doesn't really have very much interest in the church. We invited him to church like we always do. And he proceeded to say no very politely like he always does, nothing new.

But then he said he would go to church with us if we went to Mass with him, thinking I'm sure, that we wouldn't be caught dead in a Catholic church! But we jumped on that opportunity! We told him that we would gladly go to church with him if he would come to church with us this week! He agreed but said we had to go with him first. So this morning we woke up early to go with him to mass before work! It was a very interesting experience! And best of all, HE'S GOING TO COME WITH US TO CHURCH!!! 

This week is sure to be full of more Catholic experiences! I'm very thankful to be a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. I hope you all have a great Easter week! Watch the video Gracias A Que El Vive. I don't know what it's called in English but they're great. Color some eggs and have a great Easter egg hunt for me too! 

I love you all! 

-Elder Smith

 This is a sweet soccer field in our area. These people have a true love of soccer!

There was a giant fire right by our house!

Keep the Lord in First Place in Your Life

Hola hola! 

This week went by really fast! I'm sittin' here in the cyber cafe and the only thing that I can think about are my investigators. This week we found some that are really positive. The mom's name is Xiomara, she is a single mom with three kids: Alejandro, Nelly, and Ashli. They are reading the Book of Mormon and praying every night. I have a whole lot of hope for them! 

Right below them lives our investigator Consuelo and her family. They have a really cool garden behind their house. After we taught them they took us back there to see everything they have planted. It was really cool, kind of like a jungle! 

Mom, that's super cool that you met Sister Porter! My time with Elder Porter was a ton of fun, we were a good team. But that's really how I feel about all of my companions that I have had. I have been really blessed! Elder Ruiz and I are super good friends too.

I got a package from you on Friday, I was very surprised! Thank you very much! I am going to start studying those scriptures you sent me tomorrow morning. I just got done reading the New Testament so it's perfect timing.

Well, that's really all I have today. Don't get discouraged, just keep the Lord in first place in your life and everything else will fall into place. I hope you all have a great week. Keep up the good work. I love you!

-Elder Smith

March Madness

Hola Hola! 

This week went by SOOOO FAST! Jaja, I don't know where the time goes here. Today on the bus coming back from playing soccer I was half daydreaming about being a superstar pro soccer player, half meditating on the mission. And while I was doing that I realized that I am so happy here. I can't explain it, but I'm just really happy! I remember reading in my mission call that "greater blessings and more happiness than you have ever experienced await you as you  serve His children".  And I think today I realized that it is true. 

We have a family of investigators, la familia Hernandez, and they are the best! The mom's name is Consuelo, she has been going to church for the past six months here. And finally this week she told us that she wants to be baptized! The rest of the family still isn't sure, so we are going to have to work with them, but Consuelo is the key! She and her husband have to get married though, that is their biggest challenge right now. 

To answer some of your questions about our area, we have a lady who washes for us, we don't have a lady to cook for us but that is because we eat every meal in the houses of the members! They take care of us so well here! Our apartment is pretty nice, but the water is SO COLD! Showering is a challenge here, jaja.

Stefanie, I'm super proud of you! You are going to be blessed! But more than that you are always going to remember that you decided to follow the counsel of the Lord! That is so much more valuable than going to a lousy high school dance. I love you!

This is the Last March Madness that I will ever miss in my life! Jaja, I hope you all enjoy it, because there are some people that can't watch it!  Count your blessings! (: 

I love you all! have a great week! 

-Elder Smith

Here are the kids from the school I told you about last week.  We went again this week too!

Pday fun!

Back in the Big City

Hola Hola! 

Well, I had to say goodbye to Zona Choluteca. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty hard. There are a lot of people down there in the heat that I love sooo much. I didn't even say goodbye to many of them because it was too sad. I think this was my hardest goodbye. Changes are the WORST part of the whole mission. Pero ni modo... 

I am back in Tegucigalpa, in Zona Valle De Ángeles! That's the Valley of Angels, and it lives up to it's name. It is sooo great here! The ward is super strong. The members are awesome and give us A TON OF FOOD! It's super safe here too, from what I have heard. My new companion is Elder Ruis. He's from Guatemala. He is awesome! We were already friends a little bit from before, and now I think he is going to be one of my favorite companions! He's been showing me the ropes, introducing me to the investigators and the members a little bit. And from what I've seen it is going to be a great place to finish my mission. Wow, I can't believe I just wrote that. Time is flying by!

This week we had a super cool experience. Saturday morning we were invited by one of our investigators to teach a bunch of kids in a service project. We went with two other companionships to a school that was having an open house sort of thing for kids to help keep them off the streets. We taught them about Jonah and the Whale! Haha, it was so much fun! I think they are going to start inviting us to come every week. I got a little taste of what you do every day, Mom! 

As for signing a letter of intent, Mom and Dad I am officially giving you permission to sign on my behalf! I have thought and prayed about it and I feel like that's what I need to do! Stefanie, I'm proud of you for keeping the commandments and not dating until you are sixteen, that's what I'm talking about! Dad, good luck with your track team! Rachel and George, I love you guys! And Mom, thank you for writing me every week! You haven't missed once and that means a lot! I love you. 

Well, that's all for this week! I'm at a computer that can't send pictures, so I'll try to see if i can switch to another one. But if not, I'll send some pictures next week.

Keep the Lord in first place in your life this week! I can't think of a single situation that would go better without His help. 

-Elder Smith 

He Was Just Waiting for Us to Find Him

Hola Hola! 

So good news, this week we had two more baptisms! Junior, The brother of Jensi and Marisol decided to get baptized after seeing his sisters get baptized the week before. And a young man named Ricardo was also baptized! His family are almost all members, but they had been inactive for awhile up until about three weeks ago when we went out with some members and  found them on splits! He was so ready. Just waiting for us to find him! 

This week is a little bittersweet. Changes are coming up this week and its almost a 100% guarantee that I will be changed. I have loved this area! It has helped me grow a whole lot! I will miss all these people who I have grown to know and love so much. But I'm also very excited for a new challenge, a new area, more people the Lord has in store for me to meet! 

This week we also had Consejo, always a good experience! This time it was super fun! It was Elder Stoddard's birthday so we had a little party in the basement of the AP's house, kinda like what we did for my birthday. It was a blast! 

And then the next day we had, as always, a very uplifting consejo with a lot of great advice on how to be better missionaries.

I love you all! Have a great week! (:

-Elder Smith