Week #28- About My New Area

Monday, March 4, 2013

Hey!

Everything is great here. The weather is nice, we have people to teach, and we have some investigators that seem to be progressing. This week we taught some good lessons, and my spanish is still moving along. I'm not even close to perfect, but I can usually get my point across and understand what they're talking about. That's what's really nice about having a companion--when you don't know what they said, your companion does. And I'm blessed to have a companion that is native so he always understands everything. We had the opportunity to do some service projects this week. We cleaned a road that had a ton of garbage on it, and we helped a couple move into their new apartment. Hopefully, we can start teaching them. California is pretty dirty; deffinately that road we cleaned. You would not believe the things we found. Another thing that I am learning is how to paralllel park. We parallel park at least 8 times a day. They don't have parking here. There are times we spend 30 minutes looking for a parking spot; it's really frustrating. It's a blessing to have the car though because we have a pretty big area. I can't believe Derek is starting golf already, its crazy! Time goes by way too fast. Everyone says that the slowest time on your mission is from your 6 month point to your year mark. If that's true I can't imagine how fast my last year will go. This week we had zone conference and it was a good meeting. I really learned a lot. President Becerra is awesome! As missionaries we learn a lot from him. I'm glad that everything is good there, and that Blake didn't brake his arm. I think I'm good with my card; I don't really use it that much. I might be using it a little more now since I have places like China town to buy stuff, but I don't know. The only thing I want to buy is an L.A. hat, and I think we are doing that today or next week. We want to go to Dodger Stadium. Part of my area is really clean and the other part is really dirty. Most of the missionary work is done in the dirty places though. It's pretty split. I really like the area and ward I'm in. Well, got to go.

Love Elder Ryan Smith

Week #26- Transferred to East LA

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Hey!

Transfers were last Saturday, and I have moved to a new area. I am really excited. I am now in East L.A. I am also in a trio with a missionary who has been out one more transfer than me, his name is Elder Williams, and he is from Texas and with a native companion, Elder Gonzalis, he is from El Salvador. It's really nice because we can go in any house because there are three of us. It's nice! I only think it will be like this for a transfer. Our area is really big it has 4 cities in it. One of those cities is China Town, and we also have a zoo in our area. Those will be some fun P-day activities. I'm also really excited because everyone in the mission says this is one of the best wards to work with, so I am excited to work with the ward. So far all the members I have met are really cool and are very willing to give us names of people to stop by and try teaching. We are also the closest to L.A. We can see the big Los Angeles sign. It's so much different than Pomona. It's got skyscrapers and tons of malls. I guess there are three in just my area. I have been driving and the traffic isn't too bad. Hopefully, I can learn the area fast so I don't get lost; it's really big. We have a pretty big teaching pool, and we have already had some really good lessons. We got someone to commit to baptism today, and I think she will be really fun to teach. She really wants to know. Hopefully, she will read and pray. She was actually the first person I taught. I am really looking forward to this new area. Hopefully, I don't get fat. This ward also has the reputation of getting missionaries fat. I hope that's not true. I'm excited for this week to meet more of the members and the people we teach. It's different but it's a good change. I really liked Pomona, but there are people who need me here now. It's been a super exciting change, and I am looking forward to the rest of the week. Tell Staci "las felicitaciones." Hope you all have a great week!

Love Elder Ryan Smith

Week #25- Teaching By the Spirit

Monday, February 11, 2013

Hey!

It's been a good week, and I am still learning a lot. We gained some more investigators this week! We think they will be good! They already go to church, and he says he likes the Mormon church. They are hard to teach though because they are very educated and use a lot of big words. Hopefully, I will be able to understand everything. This week is also transfer calls. I think I'm leaving Pomona. I've been here for 3 transfers and I think it is my time to go. We will see. We finished the ward list this week, and we got a completed copy to all of the leader ship in the ward. All of the missionaries had a part of the list they had to go through. It was good because it shows the leadership who has moved, who is a part member family, and who is less active. The ward was very thankful, and I feel like doing this has helped the ward gain more trust with the missionaries. Hopefully, with this list they can get some good home teaching done. It's almost non-existent. This will help and the ward leaders are excited to get started with it. Teaching has been increasing, and we have a lot of people we can stop by. We have some investigators that really want to change and know if this is true. It kind of puts some pressure on us even though it shouldn't because we don't do the teaching, the Spirit does. We are just the person inviting them to do things that can change their life. This is something I still need to learn and get better at. It was a good week, and I learned a lot just like every week. I'm excited for this next week and what it has in store. Well, I got to go. I Hope you all have a great week. 

Love Elder Ryan Smith.

PS I hope Derek and Blake start feeling better. 

Week #24- Moving on in the Work

Monday, February 4, 2013

That's good that you are doing all those things to help the missionary work, and that's cool that you are finishing your mormon.org page because it is a good tool that we have been given to use and to help us. It's true that when the members are involved in the work it is a lot better. That's why as missionaries we always need to be an example and always strive to be better and do our best, because if the members don't trust you the work won't be as good. I know that I wouldn't want to give my friends' names over to someone that isn't keeping the rules and isn't being a good example. Trust is a big key in missionary work with the ward members and with those people you teach.

 

This has been a good week. We have found a lot of people to teach this week, and our planners are already full of appointments. Hopefully, they all work out. It's nice when your whole week is planned for you. We have found most of these people we are teaching now through the ward list. We have been stopping by a lot of the part member families and less active families, and it really has made us busy. Spanish is coming. Every day I get better! I just need to keep working hard on it. It's been a good week. The only downfall to the week was that I wrecked on my bike. Not bad. I just kind of ran into a wall and a little bit of a fence. It didn't hurt. My perfect record of not wrecking is broken. Well, I got to go. I hope you all have a good week.

 

Love Elder Ryan Smith

Week #23- Member Work

Monday, January 28, 2013

Hey!

It's been a good week here in Pomona. We are staying really busy, and we are finding a lot of people to teach. We have been going through the ward list stopping by every house and person on the ward list. It's keeping us really busy. You wouldn't believe how many of the people on the ward list are less active, a part member family, or both. It's really deepened our teaching pool. Another thing I've learned is that people are always moving. Half the names on the ward list are of people that moved, and we don't know where they went. Everyone is always moving. It truly was a blessing just to have lived In Salmon my entire life and not have had to move. We are almost done going through it, and that will be nice to have done. My new companion is really good at working with the members, and I have been learning a lot from him. Member work truly is the most productive if you know how to do it. So I am really grateful that I am learning how to do member work early in my mission. Oh, and the Guerras I think are really going to come that Christmas I come home. They're already planning the trip to Idaho. Every time I see them they bring it up. I hope they can come, that would be awesome! It's been a good week and I am excited for the new adventure this week has in store. I can't believe how fast it's going.

Blake ended up having to have surgury? That's not good. Is it the same thing he had the last time he had surgury? Derek's team won without Jedd? That's really good. Definitely, because he is a good player and a big key in them winning! I bet the team was really excited! Is Jedd wrestling and playing basketball? I wonder how that works with all the practices and everything, that would be hard. It sounds like everything is going good at your house and that your family is doing well. That's nice to hear. Well, I got to go. Hope you all have a great week.

Love, Elder Ryan Smith

Week #22- The Area Book

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Hey!

That stinks that Derek's team lost. It seems like they're pretty good this year; when they lose it's still always a really close game. There is always next time. This was a good week. Elder Austin is a really cool guy and a really good missionary. We have got really busy this week. This week we spent some time organizing the area book which has seemed to be the reason we are getting a lot more busy. Doing this has really showed me how important the area book is. We have been going through the ward list and almost half of the people on it have moved, are less active, or are part member families. Yesterday, we found a couple part member families to start teaching, and that was just from going through the ward list. We still have 40 names of members we need to stop by. I'm pretty sure that will keep us busy. I've been learning a lot about how to work with those less active members and those part member families with Elder Austin. That's what he really likes to do is work with the members. It's really good that I'm learning this. I'm excited to see what happens this week. Yesterday for our Zone activity we went on a hike. It's been a long time since I've been on a mountain and outdoors like that. It was really nice. The mountains and hiking are a great stress reliever. Can you believe that the 49ers made it to the super bowl? I knew that right when I got on my mission they would make it. I hope they win! I'll be able to watch the game in two years; that's not that long. It's been a busy week, and I'm really excited for this week. Well, got to go. I hope you guys have a great week.

 

Love Elder Ryan Smith 

Week #21- Staying in Pomona

Monday, January 14, 2013

Hey Everybody!

Transfers are over, and I'm staying in Pomona at least one more transfer, but I did get a new companion. His name is Elder Austin. I've only been around him for about an hour but he seems really cool and really focused which is really good. Even though it was sad to leave Elder Nielsen, I'm excited to see what more I can learn from Elder Austin. That's the nice thing about changing is you can learn so much from different missionaries. This transfer will only be 5 weeks instead of 6 which stinks! This was a good week. We found some new investigators and taught some really good lessons. Hopefully, we can keep getting busier! It was a good week! The weather here is freezing or at least it feels cold. I thought I was going to go 2 years without a winter but that's not true. It's still cold just no snow. I don't know why it feels so cold, but I have to wear my sweater everywhere. I'm just happy I don't have to wear a coat-that would be horrible! Hopefully, Derek's team beats Firth-that would be good for them. Who is coaching the C-team this year? How was Tayler's trip? I'm glad to here everything is going good at home, and hopefully, Blake starts feeling better. I hope you all have a great week!

Love, Elder Ryan Smith