Week #35- Temple Trip and Good Investigators

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hey!

Sorry the email is a little late. Our P-day was on a Wednesday this week because that was the only day we could make it to the temple. I love going to the temple. I wish I could go more. Since we don't have a temple in our mission, we can only go every six months. This was my first time, and I only have two more times left. I missed out on one of them because I was in the MTC, so I will only have three temple trips to the L.A. temple. It's a massive temple and it's very beautiful. I really liked going and wish I could go more. Everything is great here. I never got hurt, sick or anything. Hermana Becera called and asked if I went to the doctor. I don't know what happened with that info but nothing has happened to me. This has been a good week and a good transfer full of miracles. On Sunday I got to go to the baptism. It was amazing! Fousto looked so happy, and he knows he made the right decision. The baptismal service started a little rough, but it turned out to be really nice! He is now preparing to go to the temple in a year. He is really trying to get his life on track and get married to his wife in the temple. He is on his way. The people we are teaching are awesome and all have a desire to change. Our teaching pool isn't huge yet, but the people we are teaching are reading and praying and taking those first steps into finding if the church is true. There is a part-member family that we are teaching. The husband is a less active member and his wife isn't a member. It's just awesome to see them grow in his support towards her and her finding an answer. Another lady we are teaching has a strong desire to lose all her guilt and be clean. We also picked up a family, and they all want to turn to God more. It's such a blessing to see all of these poeple grow and gain that desire to follow our Savior. On Tuesday we stopped to take a rest on our bikes, and a lady came running outside to us asking if we had a Mormon Bible she could read. After a little bit of talking and her tearing up, we set up an appointment with her family for Thursday. I hope everything goes well, and we can have that lesson. It's the first time on my mission someone has teared up on a street contact. I hope that is a good thing. Well, got to go. Tell Blake to keep working out, Derek to keep his head down, and remind Olivia that she said she would do a back hand spring when I get home. I love you all, and I hope you have a great week.

Love, Elder Smith

Week #34- New Companion and Biking Uphill

Monday, April 15, 2013

Hey!

It's been a good week. Elder Favero left for Spain, and I was given a new companion. His name is Elder Christensen. He is a great missionary. I'm in the same area, and things are starting to really pick up. Since we are opening up a new area, the work started a little slow, but it's starting to pick up little by little. Yesterday, the sister missionaries had a baptism, and their investigator asked me if I would speak on baptism and the holy ghost at the baptism. I hope I did ok. The baptism went really well. I was really happy for the sister missionaries. Next Sunday there is a baptism for someone I taught in Pomona. I hope I can go. He invited me, but it's a long ways a way, and I have to get a member to drive me down. I hope I can find one. I was so happy when I heard the news; he is awesome. He is the dad to the family that is planning on coming to Salmon when I get home. I am hoping I can go. I am really looking forward to this week. We have a lot planned, and we have a lot of potentials to stop by. We are really trying hard to talk to everyone. We are in a car share, and it is our week with the car. I am so happy. We have a pretty big area and it is all hills. I even had to change out my brake pads because we have been using them so much. It will be a nice break from biking up hills all day. Well, got to go. I hope you have a good week, and I hope Derek does well in his golf tourney.

 

Love Elder Smith

Week #33- Conference and My New Area

Monday, April 8, 2013

Hey!

This week was crazy. I felt kind of bad for my companion. Since he is brand new, they have a lot of meetings. So he and I were stuck in meetings for most of the week, and then you add Conference, we did a lot of sitting, listening and writing. It's ok. We loved every bit of it and Conference was amazing! We go to the stake center to listen so between sessions we didn't get to go work in our areas because its a 30 minute drive and with traffic way longer. Between sessions we pretty much just ate with other missionaries that were in the same boat as we were in. One of the good things, and the only sad part of the week, is Elder Favero received his visa and he leaves for Spain on Wednesday. They said it was a miracle he got it so fast. They thought he would be here for three months. He is going to do awesome in Spain. I don't know what I am going to do or who is going to be my new companion. We will find out on Wednesday I guess. The area I am in is the closest to down town Los Angeles you can get in our mission. We have Dodgers Stadium and China town in my area. It's pretty dirty and there are homeless people everywhere. It's really sad. They are always coming and asking for money. I really like my area. There is a lot of work that can be done so it's really exciting! Conference was definitely the highlight of the week. I had a lot of questions answered. It's amazing how the Spirit answers those questions for you. If you can send them, we can listen to the talks in the car or in the apartment on CD. Our area is still going to have a car. I guess it's only a few elect areas in our mission that are going to do the bus thing. We are doing a car share. One week I have the car and the next I don't. We share with another companionship. Well, I got to go. I hope you all have great week.

 

Love Elder Smith    

Week #32- Called to Be a Trainer

Monday, April 1, 2013

Hey!

It's been a good and crazy week. This was the last week of the transfer, and I got called. I got called to train a visa waiter and open up a new area in Fletcher. I couldn't believe it when they asked me to train. You don't usually train this early. I hope I do a good job, and that I can be a good trainer. I don't know anything about the person I'm training or his name. I pick him up tomorrow. My new area is in China town and the Echo Park area. Echo park is where the Dodgers Stadium is. We are going to have a lot of work to do because we don't have anyone to teach that I know of down there. I know some members, and we have some formers down there but as for investigators I don't know. We need to find some. I need to learn the area and find the best biking routes possible so we can be more effective. I've only been in that area like twice. I am really looking forward to this opportunity to learn and grow as a person and missionary. It's going to be a lot of fun! Good thing the Lord is always helping me as well as my new companion. It will make it go a lot easier.  Another good thing that happened this week is we got another baptismal date. Leonel is 20 and his parents are members and he has finally committed to a date for the 12th of May. He is super excited and he has told us that he would like to also prepare for a mission so hopefully that adds some more motivation for him to be baptized. The sad part is that I will still be going to his ward but wont be able to teach him. It doesn't matter who teaches him though as long as he gets baptized. Another thing that is awesome is that a person I taught in Pomona is getting baptized in a couple weeks, and I will have the opportunity to go to his baptism. I am so happy for him! It's been a weird week with lots of exciting things, but it's also sad that I only got to be with Elder Williams for one transfer. I really enjoyed being with him, and I learned a lot from him. He is a great missionary. For the funny story of the week, Elder Williams and I were walking in the dark and I stepped in dog poop. I didn't notice and then stepped in the car. The poop got all over the pedal and the car smelt all week. I don't know what they fed that dog. Even after we cleaned it still smelt. We cleaned it that night. It's really not that funny but we had a good laugh about it. It doesn't smell so bad now--thank goodness! That stinks for Derek about how he had to spend his spring break with a hurt mouth. If it makes him feel better, when I got my wisdom teeth out my mouth didn't really even hurt. Blake is allergic to cows? How is that possible? Tell Brayden that's awesome! Can you get his E-mail? He is going to be an awesome missionary. Well, I got to go and I hope you all have a great week.

Love Elder Smith   

Week #31- Bus Pass Pilot

Monday, March 25, 2013

Hey!

It's been another interesting week. We have been staying really busy and are finding a lot of potentials to teach. We are trying to talk to everyone. This week is already full of appointments with people to teach, and we should be getting a couple more baptismal dates this week. The bummer of the week is that our investigator that was preparing to be baptized this week got anti-ed and won't talk to us or open her door. I wish she would let us talk to her about it. Hopefully, something will happen with her and she will want to listen again. She is a really good lady that is just a little confused. On the plus side, we have a big list of appointments this week with potentials, and we have a few other people that are really progressing towards baptism. We only have one more week of this transfer. I can't believe how fast it has gone. Two years isn't that long. President Becerra made an announcement at our mission conference this week, and I guess we are going to be a pilot mission. That's where they try something with a mission before they do it with all the other missions. They are taking away the cars and giving everyone a bus pass. The only people that will have cars are zone leaders. It means we are going to be among the people. I think it will be really good. It's also nice because people will be able to ask, "I'm lost. Can you help me?" I can't wait to tell someone that asks me that question at a bus stop, "Of course we can help you." It will be fun and effective. The work is moving and there is constant change. Well, got to go. Hope you all have a good week!

Love Elder Smith

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