Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Weekly Update & Caborca Update - Cynthias Baptism

HOLA!!!  :)

I am still adjusting to my new area, I mean these streets here are tightly packed, and look so similar to eachother! Ha. I will figure it out soon enough I am sure.

Yesterday we visited a sister from our ward in the hospital. And we sang hymns for her. She had such a sweet upbeat attitude. And she told us that if we looked out her window, far in the distance we could see the spire from the temple. And she told us that in the night time it lights up.

It was good to take a step back and view the perspective of many different people in the hospital, famliy members, friends, etc. And to realize even more that God has a great plan for us.

As we were leaving the hospital we ran into the Bishop and his wife, they were there to visit the same sister from our ward. We then had a different lesson. And we went to another investigator after and the bishop pulled up to the house like two seconds after we arrived, to visit them also. I told my companion, "The Bishop is stalking us, or we are just always a step ahead of him! ;)" But really it is nice to have a Bishop who is so involved.

Caborca Update: Cynthia was baptized this past Saturday. She is a sweet 10 year old girl that we taught in Caborca. I loved teaching her. I used a notebook and we drew out examples for her, and we would simplify things, and she always had great questions.


Ah it still gets me that a lot of people here dont smile with their teeth in pictures. Cynthia is adorable, and I will always remember her cute smile and laugh, even if it isnt in these pictures. Here in this picture she is with our Branch President there in Caborca.


I did get a new camera today. So I will be sure to utilize it this week so I can send some new photos next week. And only in Mexico when you buy a camera would a soccer ball come with it. I dont know, it came in my camera box as some promotion. Ha ha.

Also only in Mexico when you buy flaming hot cheetos, it comes with a salsa packet inside, to make them even hotter! Ha.

Well I hope that you all have a great week!

Love Always,
                      Hermana Smith   


Mexico Monday

HOLA;

Well I dont know what to updated you on too much. My new companion is Hermana Rocha, I always joke that I get the short companions. But really, there are taller ones. She is 5 feet tall. Ha ha. But that doesnt matter. She also love fashion design. We currently live in a house with four Sister Missionaries, two upstairs in front, and we live upstairs and behind, and a Member, she lives below. And it is super fun. So fun, that we only get to stay here for a month. Nah the real reason is because we dont live in our area. So in October we will be moving to a house in our area.

I ran out of time. But I thought I would let Elder Holland and Elder Uchdorf (from lds.org) do the talking, because they are just the very best! AND... I am already stoked for General Conference. We are talking LESS than a month people. Can I get a what what?!  :D




I love you all, and I hope that you have a darling week, FILLED with joy. Oh its out there all right, sometimes you just have to dig a little deeper for it.

Love Always,
                      Hermana Smith   


A Baptism @ 5 AM!!! :) & Transfers

Hola mi Familia y Amigos,

Ah I dont even know where to begin... literally this morning was one of the BEST moments of my life!

But let me back track a little first. Becaues I know there are a lot of Investigators, and I never want to tell stories about them too much until their Baptism.

So this special story is about GUSTAVO. First off our District Leader, Elder Navia, contacted him one day in the street, and discovered that he was interested in hearing our message, but that Gustavo lived in our area. So he passed the address on to us, to contact him, and we did.

But honestly we were taken back by how HUGE his house is. In México I feel like there are three levels of economics. Super Rich, Poor, and Super Poor. But we soon came to find out that it isnt about a Humble House, but it is about a Humble Heart. 

He read the Book of Mormon, he prayed often, and he came to Church. It was amazing to see the growth of his testimony in such a short period of time.

He was able to stop drinking Coffee right away, if it was something that God commanded, he was going to do it. He told us that he use to drink in his life, but he had given it up years ago. That he use to smoke, but that too he had given up years ago. And that to me was a great example that God had been preparing him, long before we met him.

So his baptism date was set for the 30th of August. But the week of his Baptism he was struck with an AWFUL ear infection and dwelling of his head. The Doctor said he shouldnt do the baptism this week, because his ear was so delicate. We said yeah, its okay, we will move it to the next Saturday.

But then early Saturday night our transfers came and I was told that I was being transfered to Hermosillo, in Sahuaro. I first thought my District Leader must be joking. I felt that I was being severely robbed! I had worked SO hard with my companion for three months. When we came together to an area with literally 0 investigators. And we had developed to the point where we had a Baptism Service planned for every week in September, so at least 8 solid baptisms. It honestly was heartbreaking news to me. 

My companion and I made the decision to print out Baptism Programs for Gustavo, for a Baptism that we hadnt even received an answer that was happening so soon. My companion said, "Hermana, I really like that you have so much faith, but sometimes you arent realistic." Realistic has never been a stopping point of what potencial is for me.

But Sunday came, and he was still ill with a severe ear ache and his head was dwelling. We then visited him in the night at his house. He now knew that I was being transfered, and Elder Navia also (The Elder who contacted him originally, and was going to baptize him). I asked him what he thought about a baptism at 5 AM Monday morning? (Because I had to be at the Bus Station with my suitcases and everything ready at 6:30AM). I promised him that he would only be submerged in the water for about three seconds maybe, but that this decision would be something so important, and that it would last him a life time. And that his ear would be just fine.

Long story short, he took that leap of faith and said, "YES!" I cant even describe how joyful I became. 

I then called our District Leader, and I explained that the baptism would be at 5 AM! But we still needed two more Preisthood Holders as Witnesses. So I then called two Elders from our District that I felt would be up for the task.

I began by asking the Elder that answered that phone, "Elder do you believe in Miracles?!" He replied, "Yes Hermana, I honestly do." I then asked him, "Can you please ask your companion if he believes in Miracles?" He replied, "Yes Hermana, he also believes in Miracles." I told him, "Well Elder when there are Miracles, there are also sacrifices. We have a baptism tomorrow at 5 AM. Will you and your companion come to the church at 4:30 AM to help us?" He was obviously taken back by the time, and asked twice to clarify that it indeed was what I was asking him. But he asked him companion, and they said yes. I told them, that they wouldnt regret it. And that they would be blessed for their sacrifice.

So with that... basically our whole District didnt sleep that night. I had to pack all of my bags nicely (two of the Elders that helped us were also being transfered). Me and my Companion woke up (well we never really fell asleep, because we were also filled with such excitement!) at 2 AM, we took a Taxi at 2:50 AM to the church (safety first folks). And we began to clean and fill the font at 3AM

The next detail is one of my favorite parts of the whole story. We heard a car door slam, the six of us Missionaries looked out the window and we saw Gustavo, he was already dressed in white! He was brilliantly white in the darkness of the night/morning. It was as if an angel was walking towards the church.

He had his interview at 4:45AM, and was baptized at 5AM.

Call it crazy, call it diligence, or call it a miracle. I like to think it is a little bit of all three.

The spirit that filled the room during his Baptism Service was so sweet. It was like a dream, it was something I wanted to see SO badly. That it honestly seemed to good to be real. It was as if a peice of heaven had come to earth.

When I shared my thoughts during a small talk, I told Gustavo how truly happy I was to be there! What joy I was filled with. BUT, that God was even happier. And that there was a party in the heavens for his decision.

I had never been so anxious in my life for a prayer to end (the baptismal prayer), so that I could open my eyes to see him be baptized.

For me, today, yes it was a Miracal. And I find myself truly honored to have been a witness of it.

When he returned, my companion asked him how he felt. And he replied, "Renovated".

Gustavo gave the closing prayer, but before doing so he SO humbly thanked us for presenting the church to him in his life. His prayer was so amazing, he expressed his desire for his baptism. He said to also bless his family that they werent there in the moment, but that they could soon join him in this happiness. And he asked for a blessing upon the missionaries.

Here is a picture of Elder Navia (full circle there eh? Contacted him in the street, and was the one able to baptize him).


SUCH A HAPPY DAY!!


My camera is still broken :( so I had to get this pictures from my companion.

Also, you have two options in life, to be bitter about something that you didnt want to happen. Or to realize that God knows better, and to move ahead and find out what he wants you to learn from it. I have chosen path number two, and I am excited to see what lies ahead for me here in Hermosillo, Barrio Sahuaro.

P.S. Although my sweet talking to the mouse in Spanish, assuring it that I had set out cheese for it, never seemed to work. I then joked that he must have been translated, because I did not want to kill him. But I would like to give a personal shout out to Sticky Mouse Paper, Cheese in general, and Quaker Granola Bars. That did get the job done, and I did not capture one, but TWO mice. Gross! But I am now in a different city, and live in the second level of a clean house. And a mouse would have to be Superman to reach me this time!  ;)

Love you all, have an amazing week!

Con Amor,
                 Hermana Smith     


A Mouse in our House :S

Hola,

Ew, where do I even begin with this story...

Well I was innocently reading the Liahona in our apartment last night, when I looked up and I saw a mouse scurry across our floor. So obviously my first reaction was to jump and stand on top of my bed!

Our District Leader was on the phone, so we put it on speaker, and I told him to sing a song while I killed the mouse. He began to sing a church song, which gave me no such motivation.

I moved our stove away from the wall, the fridge, the dresser, beds, everything. I couldnt find the mouse anywhere! I searched for like an hour, banging on things like a fool, hoping it would come out. So I tried to rationalize it in my mind that it didnt bother me, but obviously it did. I asked my companion more about it, like it wouldnt be able to climb up on my bed, right?! She doesnt know English, and words that she does say, a lot of the time isnt pronounced right. But when she gave her explanation one word that was the clearest English she had ever uttered, "Este ratón es como Spiderman!" 

Ah, she was right, it was like Spiderman, I now was convinced that it could go and climb wherever it pleased!

My fear, within seconds I felt like it turned into a phobia. I now loathed the mouse, and I felt the desire to vomit at the thought of it.

So it was finally time for bed, but I had not encountered the mouse. I decided to sleep at the foot of my bed curled up, close to the fan (obviously less of me, less options to touch me right?) And I thought it probably wont like the wind. So I wrapped up tight in a blanket, but then it was super hot. I left the light on. I kept waking up like every 30 minutes and checking the ground, (and I had like 3 different dreams about a mouse) until like 1:30 AM. At 3AM my Companion woke up and turned the light off (I figured it would stay more hidden with light?) I am sure my companion thought I was crazy! But I was loosing it by this point.

The light was off, so I moved my alarm clock to the corner of my bed. I woke up like five minutes later, and I saw something that seemed darker in the corner of my bed, so with a half instant thought I took the back of my hand and I spanked it off the bed, and spanked it good. To then only realize I was hearing the crashing defeat of my alarmclock that I had just placed there.

Long story short, it seemed like the longest night of my life. But the point is. Dont do that. Dont let little things bug you. I will not die from a mouse. So with or without a mouse, I am sleeping tonight!  :)

Dont let the little things get you in life. People can talk that dont know facts. Things will go wrong, that I am sure. But keep your head up high, with a smile ready, and go out and make a difference to someone! You have it better than a lot of people could even dream about. So use that to your advantage, and help others in their journey.

I love you all TONS. And I hope you have a safe, happy, mouse-free week!  :)

And for those heading back to school, and dreading the new flow of homework, just remember that there are plenty of people who would take your place to get an education if they could. So count your blessings, and enjoy your blessings.

Love Always,
                    Hermana Smith     

P.S. No pictures this week, because my camera died. Not sure why, but I will figure out a way to send you something next week.

YOU are part of the Plan!

Hola,

Everyday I feel like I can understand just a little bit more of how much each individual is a part of the great plan that God has for us. 

But I think that there are three types of People:
Those who THINK about doing it.
Those who TALK about doing it.
And those who DO it.

I am a firm believer that ANYTHING is Possible. If your roots are planted in a good purpose.

You can relate that to any aspect of your life.

Do you THINK about serving your neighbor, TALK about serving your neighbor, or DO you actually serve them?

Our potential at times may seem overwhelming, that we are almost caught in fear to utilize it. But if you are willing to put in the work, God is willing to give you the blessings.

"Each of us has more opportunities to do good and to be good than we ever use. These opportunities lie all around us. Whatever the size of our present circle of effective influence, if we were to improve our performance even a little bit, that circle would be enlarged. There are many individuals waiting to be touched and loved if we care enough to improve in our performance." - Spencer W. Kimball



Believe that Miracles still exist, but be willing to play a role in them.
Here is a picture from a little store here. And it is called The Mission, so obviously I had to take a picture here.  :)


I Love You all, and I hope that you have a week filled with Success and Happiness! And I will be striving for Success and encountering Happiness here in Caborca also.  :)

Love Always,
                     Hermana Smith    


Slackin on emails

Hola,

Ah sorry I am an awful writer for the group emails lately! But today when I signed in I had 46 unopened emails. Which that is not a complaint, I love the love and support of family and friends. But, I still have a ton more to reply to. But that doesnt mean stop, keep the emails coming!  :)

Next week, the group one will be sent first, eh?

I gave a talk on Sunday about Missionary Work, crazy I know.  ;)

But obviously being a Missionary it is SO much more obvious how important it really is. So... do your part wherever you are, eh?  :)

Our Heavenly Father loves us, more than we can comprehend. He is aware of our needs with a perfect love, PERFECT. Our Savior suffered for us so that we can become better, do better, and reach our potential. The Holy Ghost will guide us on our individual paths if we are worthy of it.

Me and my companion keeping hydrated!  :)  Or shadows arent very cute with 50 pound backpacks on.  ;)



PS...


Happy Birthday Shoutout to my Amazing Father he turned the big 55 today, ooh-ooo!!!  :D

Love you all!

Have a fabulous and productive week.

Love Always,
                    Hermana Smith


Will you help them cross the river?!

Hola,

So as a Mormon, well... we always make examples of things. So since this past week was Pioneer Day (July 24th). I want to talk more symbolically about our work as Members today. We arent asked to walk long distances, with little or close to no food, in life threatening weather. But we are asked to help share the gospel with others. There were Pioneers who had to cross ice filled rivers, and they helped eachother do it. The left all that they had, because they wanted to follow God with his work and will.

Today, lets say the river is life. And as members, we are asked to take nonmembers by the hand and help them get across. But as we cross the river together, we need to help others with their trials. And the river can be crossed with more ease if those people can obtain The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I get it, it can be scary, or WHAT IF they dont want it?! But, the better question is, WHAT IF they do?!  :) 

I dont want to meet people when we leave this life here on earth. And for them to say, you knew it all along, and you DIDNT tell me?!


The more we attempt to work with Members, I have come to learn that Every Member ISNT a Missionary. And that sounds bitter. But to be a Missionary, that is a CHOICE. Oh course you can be a Member Missionary. But without any works, you arent given that title and Privelege. So if you are a "Member Missionary", to that I say, Prove It.


Woah-kay, not really a fan of Selfies, but we were the first ones to our Zone Meeting, so... we took a picture. Ignore the background. And just notice the fact that it is Hermana Smith and Hermana Rodriguez.

P.S. On a random note. I often laugh when I see people who wear shirts here in English, when I am pretty sure they dont know what it really says. For example we saw an older woman who was wearing a shirt that said, "Its Friday Night, Put your Swag on!" Ha ha. First off, it was Saturday mid-day, and I am pretty sure that Swag is one of the last words that this sweet lady would choose in her vocabulary.

Okay, well I love you all. And I hope you have a Beautiful Week! Look for opportunites to serve others this week, sometimes it is the littlest things that count most.

Love Always,
                    Hermana Smith     



Excitement, Hope & Baptisms

Hola,

Me and my companion found it appropriate to put some labels on some juice that we drink. Excitement, Hope, and Baptisms. We said we dont get to enjoy from the Baptism one as much as we would like. But if you arent excited about the work, and it isnt filled with hope, you will never get to the goal.


Transfers were today, but me and my companion Hermana Rodriguez are together still in Caborca. Which is what we both wanted, so that is good. Because we have some baptisms in August that we are STOKED about!  :)

Here is a picture of me and Hermana Rodriguez, because I feel like I havent really sent ones of us together too much. But oops sorry that my hair is blocking my tag.  :S  


I hope that you all have a beautiful week, full of Excitement, Hope, and Baptisms, eh?!  :)

Love You!

Love Always,
                    Hermana Smith     

P.S. Sorry it was so short, hopefully it is longer next week