December 29, 2015 -Y Próspero Año Nuevo!

Hope everyone is gearing up for new years and just having a blast! Sometimes I start to think about how that would be to do nothing for a whole week! That seems like a sin ha ha but everything has its time and place.

It was so fun to call you guys. I wrote in my journal that night (I’m going on three weeks’ straight mom!) ''todays call was a success because I didn’t cry''. Its true! But I loved talking with each one of you and Dad I love you so much for doing a short-distance prayer on a long-distance skype chat. He is always close to us! I loved seeing you guys and seeing KK all grown up and Matty boy with his huge deep voice. Mommy and Daddy I love you guys so much. I was filled with gratitude afterwards for the family I have and I really just want to make you guys proud of what I am doing and who I can become by the time I come home. Thanks for all your support.

We didn’t baptize this last week but we have one prepared for this next week. Story time. His name is Jose. He goes by Fito in his neighborhood. He is literally the funniest human being I have ever met. He’s an older guy, about 50 (funny joke dad?) and has the biggest belly I've ever seen. Every time he sees us from 50 feet away he yells ''Hermanos Elderes!'' in this hilarious 'ho ho ho' Guatemalan Santa Claus voice. We really judged him at first and we were not too keen on teaching him. But Heavenly father put him in our path one day and my companion and I just had a very distinct impression to teach him (we had seen him talking to the bishop 2 days earlier). You would have to know him, but he is not someone we would just be seeking to teach. We taught him on the side of the street, left him a Book of Mormon, told him to stop drinking coffee, and the rest is history. He went to a sweet family night last night and he was so pumped. I have been able to be a part of another change in a man that has been part of the world for all his life. I always think about the question from the Savior in 3 Ne 9:13 when I teach him. He heals!

I really love you guys and I thank you forever for everything.

Happy new year!

Elder Smith

3 Ne 9:13 ....will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

A photo we took from our Skype call on Christmas day- Awesome to see and talk to him!

December 22, 2015 - Christmas Time in Guate!!!

Wow what a week!! I am really enjoying the Christmas spirit here right now. I hopped on a bus one time and started singing ''I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas...from the bottom of my heart.'' ha-ha it was hilarious and everyone in the bus laughed. There are all sorts of ways to preach repentance! Good thing Guatemalans laugh at literally everything because you all know I am not very funny ha-ha.

Elder Wilkes and I are basically exhausted (what’s new!) from this week but it was such a miraculous week! We had three divisions like always and we ended up going to Puerto San Jose more than we asked to! It is a 50 minute bus ride in a blazing hot bus with wind in the face each way. I was able to go with my good buddy Elder Richins (he entered into the field with me from my group) and it was a solid day down there. Apparently there was some volcano that went off near Escuintla so we worked all day with these doctor’s masks. Funny moment, about 5 minutes after I put on the mask I went to contact some old woman on the street. She tried to avoid me but I am persistent so I kept getting closer until she started sprinting away shouting ''Al mercado voy!''. So classic. We drew little faces on ours to lessen the gringo-doctor-alien effect. We also went to the beach again yesterday to pick up trash as part of a Mormon Helping Hands activity. It was sweet.

Also mom, this totally reminded me of you! This week was the primary program here and I got put in as the designated piano player! The Guatemalan ninos were not in sync with me really....I think its because they didn’t buy them pizza to get them to come practice! But it really was so special. There’s something about little kids pure testimonies that always gets me. One of my converts, Michelle, that I baptized in October, went right up there and gave her memorized part and bore her testimony!

We baptized again this last Sunday too. His name is Edwin. Wow. What a comeback story. I have seen lots of people turn their lives around in Guatemala, but not many have come close to Edwin. He did everything imaginable but he repented and changed and got baptized this Sunday. If Edwin can do it, we all can! That gives me Hope. 

Love you guys so much. Cant wait to see you on Friday. Ill try my hardest not to cry this time, but its always a surprise. I am 2 for 2 right now with a 1000 batting average ha-ha. We will see.

Feliz Navidad muchachos!

December 20, 2015

December 21, 2015  Mormon Helping Hands - Escuintla Zone

December 15, 2015 - Christmas time in Escuintla!!!

Wow. Cant believe I’m back here writing another email! I blink once and I’m writing my wonderful family yet again! Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season like I am and living it up in the good old Granite Bay.

We had a Christmas miracle type of week. We were able to baptize Araceli and Victoriano. They are sweet sweet people that I will always remember and hold dear to my heart. Araceli even gave her testimony this Sunday and said, ''I knew this church was true a long time ago. And now I’m finally baptized.'' Never too early and never too late! After his baptismal service on Sunday after church, our ward mission leader was about to end the service with a hymn and a prayer but our convert Victoriano got right up and said ''I want to share a few words'' (he was a former pastor from a Evangelical church) and boy did he share a few words! A little bit of his evangelical pastor came out but it was the sweetest testimony I have ever heard. He talked about a dream he had had where the Lord told him to jump up and grab a bar a few feet above his head. He jumped 3 times but couldn’t reach it. On the fourth time he jumped as hard as he could and finally got it. He said ''With that in mind, I have now been baptized 4 times. Take it as you will.'' What a faithful old guy that I have come to love so much!

We also had our Christmas devotional/activity as a mission last Thursday. We had to last minute plan for a zone Christmas presentation. Elder Wilkes and I furiously read Helaman 14, 16 and 3 Ne 1 to put together a little play about Samuel the Lamanite and prophecies of Christ. I think the highlight was when everyone started to throw dirty socks at Elder Serrano aka Samuel the Lamanite. That got a good laugh out of everyone. Then all of a sudden I hear Elder Wilkes saying from the pulpit (he was the narrator) '' Now we will listen to the testimony of Elder Smith'' ha ha ha it was the most hectic unplanned thing I’ve ever done but it ended nicely.

Man do I love you guys. I came out of that conference with 5 packages! I felt strange because most get nothing (except for this year because every Elder was given an awesome package from the mission) but I knew that I was holding 5 packages full of love! Thank you mom and dad and Matthew and Kathryn and Grandpa and Grandma Smith and the Robison Family and the Lebaron Family. I loved your gifts and treats and appreciate every effort and prayer on my behalf. The prayers are heard and candies are half eaten already! Thank you so much. And mom, fyi the tree and ornaments are all super glued on the wall now. Thank you for that labor of love!

Well its back to work now. We are doing great work here and I hope that the Lord feels the same. Love the Lord and Love His Work!!!!

Christmas greetings,

Elder Smith

December 8, 2015

December 13, 2015

The beach in Puerto San Jose

Esquintla Zone-  playing soccer on pday