Week #30- No Longer a Trio

Monday, March 18, 2013

Hey!

It's been a pretty crazy week! On Tuesday we got a call from the A.P.s, and there was a missionary that went home because of health problems. I hope they can find out what is wrong because he is a really good guy. Since he went home, Elder Gonzalaz took his spot in Chino. We are not in a trio anymore. It's just me and Elder Williams. It was really unexpected. Elder Gonzalaz was a good companion, and it was sad to see him go. Since Elder Williams and I are both new here, we spent a lot of time this week getting organized. It really stunk because we had a board of potentials that we can't go by anymore because we don't know where they live. The past missionaries didn't write their addresses down. We didn't worry about it too much because Elder Gonzalaz was here, and he new where they lived. So we are pretty much starting from scratch. We still have some of our investigators and some less actives, but besides that, we are kind of white washing the area. We still haven't been to every part of our area, so hopefully we can get around ok in the car and find everything ok. It stinks but I have learned a lot from this happening on how I can keep growing as a missionary and a person.  Another thing we have been doing is talking to everyone everywhere we go. It's been getting us busy fast, and we are starting to add to the list of people we can stop by. I really enjoy talking to people even in another language. I like to talk a lot. Who new? With all this happening its been an exciting week and busy! We are still hoping and trying for a baptism on the 31st, but it is looking like we are going to have to bump the date back. Hopefully, we can find her need and teach according to that need. I guess we will see. Well, I got to go. Hope you all have a good week.

Love Elder Ryan Smith   

Week #29- When Members Are Involved

Monday, March 11, 2013

Hey!

It's been a good week with lots of lessons and lots of learning. This week we committed Ligia to be baptized on the 31st of March and she accepted! The only problem is she missed church this week. Hopefully, she makes it next week. She says she believes it, and she has been reading the Book of Mormon. She says it's true and that she has prayed about it. Her only problem is she doesn't think we worship at church. The church she goes to worships through yelling and music. I don't think it will be a problem to explain to her about worship; it's just different for her. With some scriptures and some explaining, she will be fine. This week we also had a family home evening at a member's house and the daughter invited two friends. We are actually teaching one of the friends. It was lots of fun. We watched The Testaments and the members bore their testimonies, and then we played a game of spoons. The two friends really liked it. That's the best way to find people to teach. Something that we have started doing is going to members' houses and role playing with them. We role play how, in simple conversations with their friends, they can change it to a gospel conversation and maybe an invite to a family night or something. We also role play situations like if a friend comes to you about her Aunt dying, what you can say to her. I don't know, hopefully, it works and helps them be a little more confident with talking to their friends about the gospel or just inviting them to an activity. It is way better when a member is involved with the people you are teaching. On the 24th of march is a missionary Sacrament meeting, and I was so close to being one of the missionaries that would have to give a talk. My companion has to do it though. I don't know why they didn't pick me; I thought they were going to. He will do a good job. The weather here has been good, and one day this week we took a bike day which was really nice! I like biking because you don't feel as bad when you eat. It's been a good week! It sounds like you have had a really busy week. Hopefully, dad keeps getting better. What would cause that to happen? Has Derek been able to start golfing or is the course still closed? I can't believe it's already golf season, time goes by super fast! Today, for are a zone activity we are going on a hike. It's going to be a lot of fun! Well, got to go get ready for the hike. Hope this week isn't so stressful for you.

Good Luck!!!

Love Elder Ryan Smith 

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