March 8, 2016 - “Hard Work Never Killed Anyone, But Shocked Many”

That was a quote we shared today in our zone training from a talk that President Kimball gave many years ago. Its called “The Attitude of the Mind”. Matt you should look it up and read it. Its pretty cool. One of my companions showed it to me a few changes ago and its super useful. It all starts in the mind.

This was a good week. We really tried to put in practice what Elder Duncan taught us and we saw some fruits. We unfortunately didn’t have anyone new come to church for this month but the Lord will provide. That’s how it always is when we try something new or try to change. It’s hard at first and we may fail, but there is always progress when we try try again. Sometimes I have not had success because I get stuck doing the same thing and its comfortable. Or I am comfortable with the measured success I am having. But there is so much more! So much more. The Lord always wants us to find a better way to do things. He was and is the best. He never did anything comfortable or easy.

I went up to Comalapa this Sunday. Its a villageish place almost an hour away from Chimaltenango. It is one of the branches that Elder Diaz and I cover while there are no missionaries there. It was like a flashback to Rio Santiago with it being a small struggling branch and such.

Yesterday we went to a place called Colinas to play soccer and volleyball with the Zone from Antigua. I got to see my old companion Elder Guzman there, so that was really fun. The place where we were is where Guatemala has their EFY every year, with every stake. It is so nice. The Church never goes half effort on anything or any project. Very beautiful. If the Smith Family is ever to do a family reunion in Guatemala, I would pick that place. It was a blast to be with 30 plus missionaries. It was also one of the last times I’ll ever see Elder Guzman because he goes home in May. So it was fun to reminisce.

Last night we had a family night about the Plan of Salvation with some converts. I learned a lot about the atonement. What’s cool is that I learned more while in the act of teaching it. Thus we see that when we know the doctrine to be able to teach it, the act of teaching brings us more knowledge. I think its the holy ghost that does that job. After receiving a little revelation, I wrote it down in my agenda. It goes like this:

  ''The atonement has already been made for ALL sin, his Hand is ALWAYS there (2 NE 19:21) and that will never change. 2 NE 16:8 - he was sent FOR us. But if we never reach out our own hand through obedience and Repentance, it would be as if there had been no Redemption made (Alma 11:40-41) But it has! Reach out your hand!''

I thought that was a cool thought and some things I had never thought of before.

I love this work. I have learned that its not about me or even my own conversion (that’s a nice byproduct!), its about the people I serve and their conversion. For example, we have a guy that’s getting baptized this weekend. The missionaries in the area were teaching him for months and months and....nothing. They took the missionaries out of the area and then a couple months ago he started going to church by himself. And at the same time stopped drinking and smoking. Elder Diaz and I come into the picture 3 weeks ago. The first time I taught him, it was like I was talking to a convert I have in Golondrinas, the same attitude and same doubts. I told him about him and he completely opened up. We then committed him to read the Book of Mormon (now that he had demonstrated true intent) and the rest is history. Ahh that is what I live for. Now we just need to find more. Pray for Edgar please.

Love you guys so much. Save some meat for me dadio on the smoker.

Elderrrr Smith

 Elder Smith and Elder Dias on Pday 

March 1, 2016 - Week 3 in Chimal

Well this week was awesome. We finished with 4 baptisms at the end of the week but that wasn’t even the best part! I’ll tell you about the people we baptized though. In the pictures there’s a single mom and her two kids. They are so awesome. The mom has been listening to the missionaries for years and years off and on and finally got baptized with her kids. She really was prepared and knows more about the church and the gospel plan than most members in Chimaltenango! The other is a 15-year-old girl. Her mom got baptized many many years ago when she was 8 years old. She was the only one in her family that got baptized at that time. Now 30 years later, Elder Diaz, a week before I came, found her knocking doors and then found out the next day that she is a relative and good friends with a strong member family. 3 weeks later and..... Gaby gets baptized. The Lord is showing forth his hand in Chimaltenango. Grateful to be a part of it.

Now...to the best part of the week. We had a 3-day mission tour with Elder Duncan, the Area President here in Central America. WOW. What an inspired and intelligent man. He changed our whole way of thinking about missionary work and raised our expectations and helped us see our potential. It was incredible to hear him and just listen to things that I felt applied so well to my life and to my area. Then on Friday we had a meeting with him and all the zone leaders and the assistants and president Markham. WOW. He began with two questions ''Do you own your zone'' and ''which way do you face''. After some answers he got all quiet and said ''Now get ready to feel uncomfortable''. He began to ask some very direct and specific questions about our responsibilities as leaders. Really made me think. What he wanted us to learn is that as leaders in any position, we are entitled and MUST seek and find revelation for those in our mayordomia (mom will you translate that? I can’t remember the word in English). stewardship.  And that includes thinking outside of the box and doing something DIFFERENT. We get stuck in a rut sometimes that’s hard to get out of. Elder Duncan helped lift us out of that rut. Really he had a lot of good things to say about our mission but helped us to reach so much higher. Loved it.

Thanks for praying for my health. That is really so cool to hear because it was just in the time I needed it! I usually don’t share this because I don’t, but yesterday I had my ingrown toe (nail) taken out. I will show you guys pictures one day, but just know that I know that prayers are real. And that God will give us what we need to say! Thanks for praying for me in a time of need. Thanks Dad for listening to the Spirit. Great example for me. Love you guys mucho mucho and I also pray for you often. Have a great week everyone.

Love,

Elder Smith