Week 75

AREA: Tucson—Midvale

COMPANION: Elder Blacker

Friends and Family,

Monday: Just your typical pday... didnt do anything spectacular. Our
investigator Crystal that lives below us made us dinner which was
super nice of her. That was about it though.

Tuesday: Awesome day! This morning we had foodbank as usual and then
we had a lesson with Sister Cole. Sister Armbruster came with us to
the lesson and shared more of her awesome stories! After her place we
headed over the post office quick so I could send off Savannah's
birthday package:) Had a great lesson with Robert on the Plan of
Salvation which went great! Brother Curtis came with and connected
well with him. He also invited him to come to mutual. Ended the night
off with a lesson with Crystal which went great as well:) Taught her
the Plan of Salvation. She is a great example of someone who has been
prepared. She loved church Sunday, she loves the gospel, and loves
the happiness that has come as she has been meeting with us.

Wednesday: This morning we had district meeting at the apartment
because we didnt have anywhere else to meet unfortunately. The library
was booked already:/ District meetings as alright. We talked about the
importance of testifying of the Book of Mormon and being bold while
testifying. Went and visited a few referrals and found a new potential
investigator named Angel. He is pretty awesome, he is a server at a
Casino near by, and he showed a good amount of interest in meeting
with us. Had a lesson with Faith after that, talked about prayer and
the Holy Ghost and how we can receive answers.

Thursday: Today once again was great! This morning Elder Lundell and I
watched a couple of guys change the floor in the apartment. The old
stuff was deteriorating and needed to be replaced. After they finished
doing that I cleaned up the mess all around the apartment. We then
finished up our studies till we met up with Brother Collingwood to go
out and visit a bunch of members in the ward. Our ward is about 4400
square miles, there are ALOT of members too, and not a lot of them are
being visited. Brother Collingwood is one of the most Christlike men I
have met, and he dedicates his time to visiting EVERYONE in the ward.
He reminds me a lot of my Grandpa Smith:) While out with him we were
able to visit with a good amount of people which was awesome! We went
out to Sells and visited with some of the members there. I am learning
a lot from Brother Collingwood and I hope that I stay in the area so I
can learn more! This evening we exchanged back and went directly to a
lesson with Crystal. Taught the last part of the Plan of Salvation and
talked about Family History and it was fantastic! She said she loved
it and learned a lot:)

Friday: Today was pretty awesome :) This morning I had an amazing
study session and had some mind blowing things that I learned. After
studies we did some planning before going over to Kim's for a lesson
with her. Had a great talk with her, she just had her knee replaced
last Friday and she is doing great! We then went home and Sister Lee
came over and did an inspection on our apartment, we passed:) After
that went and got some papa murphy's pizza with some money a member
gave us. Cooked that and did some more weekly planning.

Saturday: Super busy day! This morning we woke up and went straight
over to sister Lucas's for service. Unfortunately she is being evicted
from her place so we helped clean up the property as much as we could.
We then visited the Lujan's who is a recent convert/less active
family. Went home and got showered and ready as fast as we could so we
could go over to the Provstgaards. Helped move a couch into their
place and then had a great gospel discussion. Hurt my back a little
while moving the couch #dontliftwithyourback Should be fine though.
After that we saw the Haynie's while they shared some of the crazy
things their going through. Rushed over to Brother Collingwood's for a
ward mission meeting, went to Gary's, and then went home. Super busy
day... on the way home we received transfer call news, I'm staying in
the area, going district leader, and getting Elder Bradfield. Elder
Blacker is moving to the Gila Valley and getting Elder Stanger. They
should be a great companionship.

Sunday: Today was really good:)This morning we had ward council which
was nice, had sacrament meeting went really well. Since it was Elder
Blacker's last Sunday in the ward, Bishop Rees invited him to go up
and bear his testimony which was nice. We then had sacrament meeting
in Sells so we left for Sells right after church. Before going out to
Sells we actually went and had brunch at the Collingwood's house which
was super good. Brother Fawcett, one of the ward missionaries dad
wanted to experience the Sells sacrament meeting so he came with us.
The service was okay, it was kinda disorganized but it will continue
to get better as we go. After Sells we went over to John and Era's
place to pick up something and headed home. We then went and made
visits to members in the ward that Elder Blacker wanted to say goodbye
too. Ended the night saying goodbye to Hermana Jones and Elder Jones,
the senior couple missionaries that live in our complex.

This week I had a very good study session. One of the subjects I chose
to study one day was the principle of hope. Before studying this it
was a common everyday word I would use in the context of "I hope we
have a good day." If you couldn't tell by that statement it had a hint
of uncertainty too it. The first thing that I thought to do was to
look up the definition for the word "hope." Now the definition I was
looking for was not just a definition found in a dictionary, I wanted
the gospel definition. I chose to look in "True to the Faith," for the
definition and my eyes were opened forever. This definition has now
changed the meaning of some of my favorite scriptures and has helped
my faith in Jesus Christ grow. This definition has changed 
the way I look at things, given me more "hope" and drive to
serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I love you all:)
Have a great week:)

Love,

Elder Smith

Week 74

AREA: Tucson—Midvale

COMPANION: Elder Blacker

Friends and Family,

Monday: This morning we did laundry at the laundry mat instead of our place because we didnt have money on our laundry card. Did all of our shopping and got that out of the way pretty quick which was nice. After all of that stuff we went to the library to email and stuff. Had dinner with the Olives family and they were awesome as usual. For their family home evening dinners they pick a country or state and cook food they would eat there. Today was Hawaii and they cooked this rice, spam, and seaweed stuff. Not my favorite but hey, at least we were getting fed.

Tuesday: Today was pretty exciting. This morning was pretty normal for a Tuesday. We had foodbank and had some fun doing that. After doing that we went home for lunch. Had an appointment with Sister Cole but she wasn't able to meet with us unfortunately. Contacted some referrals that we had and actually found a new investigator! His name is Robert, he is 13 years old and said him and his family used to meet with the missionaries but stopped. Sister freeman was very kind and made us dinner because we didnt have one. We didnt have a lot of people sign up on Sunday because some lady went crazy and practically told the relief society that they were the worst ward she had ever seen. I dont necessarily see how that is but I guess we have something to work on... After their place we had a lesson with Crystal our neighbor. She is so prepared to be taught and it is wonderful!! She literally has been looking for a church her whole life that felt like she was supposed to go to. Reminds me a lot about Jospeh Smith. We reviewed the restoration with her and invited her to be baptized and she accepted! She has a baptismal date for February 18th! Look forward to helping her get there!

Wednesday: Today for some reason was somewhat stressful. This morning my Book of Mormon fell apart so I had to go get some glue so I can fix it. Thankfully its all good. We had a bunch of appointments that canceled/rescheduled for other days which was kinda lame. Had an appointment with Faith though which I feel like went well:) Finished the last half of the Plan of Salvation lesson. We then rushed over to Chile's for dinner with sister armbruster. She is the coolest old lady I believe I have ever met and she has such a strong testimony of the gospel.

Thursday: Today was more unique for a Thursday. Our zone meeting was moved to today for some reason. Had some really good trainings I felt like. There was a portion of the meeting I was able to share an experience from my mission while reactivating someone and I shared my experience with Tyna and how although she is crazy... she has made my mission experience worth while and that working with her helped me to learn and grow in the gospel. Only was about 2 minutes but still good. After zone meeting we went out with a bunch of missionaries for lunch. Went home to change and visited with sister Cole. Had dinner with Crawford which was pretty nice. After dinner we had an appointment with our new investigators Robert, Ernie, Emilio, and Audrina. Robert is the oldest at 13 and goes down the line to 10, 8, and 6. They're some cool little kids and definitely interested. Taught them the restoration and invited them to be baptized on February 18:) They accepted the invite!

Friday: Awesome temple trip today! Woke up early and headed out for the temple. Got there in time to go to Kianoa's and get some lunch. The temple was wonderful!! It was so beautiful and peaceful inside as always. So grateful that we have temples, I don't even know what I would be like without them. After the temple we headed home. A sister from one of the nearby wards was the one who drove us up and I sat up front and talked with her for a majority of the time. After we got back we rushed over to dinner, ate fast, went to the dedmans to help them out with a few things, and then finally heading over to Gary's. Pretty good day... super exhausting for sure.

Saturday:  Today was pretty good and we were able to get a lot done which was nice. This morning we had interviews with our mission president which went well. After that we went home for studies and then planned till dinner. Got a lot of our planning done which was awesome! Had a ward coordination meeting this evening which went really well! Our new ward mission leader is awesome and had a big dream for our ward:) 

Sunday: This morning we had PEC which went well. Brother Collingwood got the ward auxiliaries attention when he talked about his goal of having 100% home teaching. His goal is very bold and difficult to reach... Although it is possible. He has done it in multiple wards and by doing it, helped the ward receive over 50 convert baptisms in a year. I love his plan and know it is possible. Church was great! Crystal was there and she really enjoyed the services. She looks forward to coming back which is great to hear:) After church we went home for studies and ended up falling asleep on accident. Woke up in time to head out to dinner at Tyna's. Tyna got a dog named Baileyryan... apparently Hannah and Tyna couldn't decide on a name. Spend the rest of the evening at the Rees's home which was pretty good. 

This week I really tried to focus on daring to stand alone. Christ set the perfect EXAMPLE for us. Through all temptation, pain, or opportunity he had in general to sin, he didnt. He stood alone and so can we. Never in this life will we be able to be perfect examples as Christ did... but we can do our best by doing the small and simple things. Think to yourself, "am I the same person behind closed doors as I am in front?" At times it may not always be the most convenient time to stand as an example of what you know is right... but we are promised we will be blessed for our obedience. 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-05-005-dare-to-stand-alone?lang=eng#d

I love you all! Have a great week:) 

Love,

Elder Smith 

Week 73

AREA: Tucson—Midvale

COMPANION: Elder Blacker

Family & Friends,

Monday: Just your typical pday... stupid library was closed because its apparently a holiday. Other than that we pretty much just hung around at different places, had a great time, relaxed a little, and then went to dinner at Olive Garden with Sister Dilley. Would have been super yummy if we were to actually have had the chance to eat... but by the time our food came it had been about 45 minutes since we ordered it so we just put them in to go containers and left. Filled up mostly on soup and breadsticks though so that was nice. They did apologize for the wait and took one of the meals off the check which was nice of them.

Tuesday: Busy day... We did not have foodbank today because they were doing inventory so we ended up taking some extra times for studies and taking lunch. We then and tried to visit people before visiting Sister Cole. One of these days I will have to get a picture with her. After Sister Cole's we went to Faiths for a lesson and taught the Plan of Salvation. Very sweet little girl and is sometimes difficult to get involved in the lesson. We even brought chocolate haha towards the end of the lesson though when we showed a video called, "Sacrifice and Sacrament," which talks about the sacrifice that Christ made for us and how important it was. Very powerful video I would recommend taking the time to watch. After visiting with her, since we were in the general area, we felt we should go and visit the Lujan family. We found there place this time and had a very nice visit talking about how things have been and then sharing a mormon message video. On the way home #45mindrivethatismostlydirt we got a call from a member who needed help moving something quick and ended the evening with that. 

Link to video: http://www.lds.org/video/old-testament-visual-resources/sacrifice-and-sacrament 

Wednesday: Had district meeting as usual and had it at the library again which I feel went well. After district meeting we had lunch as a district and waited for the zone leaders to meet up with us so we can blitz our area. (meaning everyone goes finding in our area) We had an appointment to get to before they got to our place so the Valencia elders went with them which went well I think. They found one new investigator for us and they also contacted a few less active members who want us to stop by again:) super awesome. Our lesson with Sister Gamble went well, she is a less active member I believe and lives in Utah a majority of the year. Unfortunately though she will be moving back to Utah on Monday for work haha. So that was quick being that we have only met with her once. Had dinner with Sister Dilley again and then went and visited some people on our list. Founds some pretty solid potentials so we will see how things go.

Thursday: This morning we had foodbank as usual. Steven, who took Travis's position after he moved to Utah is starting to come around. Usually he would keep to himself and not talk with anyone, and now he is which is awesome and makes working at the foodbank a lot more enjoyable. After foodbank we went home for lunch and then did some service patching some holes and painting. Our appointments for the evening canceled so we ended up just trying to see some people. Sister Dilley was awesome once again and got us some Texas Roadhouse giftcards for dinner! Our dinner for Friday called and wasn't going to be able to feed us so she gave us some money for dinner. Instead of going to Texas Roadhouse today we used the other money to get dinner at McDonald's so we could just go to Texas Roadhouse friday. Elder Blacker had heard about bidets you can install on your regular toilet and he wanted one, so we had a second to go over to Home Depot and he bought one! The things is awesome and would definitely recommend it to anyone who goes poop on a toilet.

Friday: This morning started off pretty good, after doing studies we started doing our weekly planning. Weekly planning always seems to go really well until we have to leave for a lesson. Had a great visit with Kim who next friday will be going in for a knee replacement surgery. P.s. Thank you Sister Broadbent for getting your knee replaced while I was at your place:) Comforted her a lot after sharing your knee replacement story with her haha:) hope thats okay:) After Kim we went and visited accouple of people before heading out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse! Sister Dilley gave us each a $25 giftcard and the chances of us coming back were low so we splurged and spent it all haha Got myself steak and ribs haha. After dinner we went home and did some more weekly planning. 

Saturday: Today was a pretty busy day. This morning went pretty much normal till we went to the Provstgaards for service. Helped feed some of their animals and then laid some carpet. 

Got done with that and on the way home stopped by this garage sale place to check out some things and my dreams have come true. They had a clapper for $1!! It was the most amazing purchase I have ever made! It works great and I no longer have to get out of bed to turn the light off:) THANK YOU TECHNOLOGY! We then went over to Sister Lucas's place to bring over some boxes for her because she is having to move. Went straight from there over to a referrals who was awesome! Her name is Patti and she used to be a professional singer. Apparently she used to model for playboy too... kinda weird but she is awesome. #onlyintucson. We gave her a Book of Mormon and shared a little about it. Invited her to read it and she was excited to get started. After dinner we had a great lesson with another new investigator named Daniel. Has heard some odd things about the church which we corrected... one of which was that Joseph Smith was killed while fornicating with other men's wives... Really?? Anyway, other than that he seems very interested and we look forward to meeting with him again soon. 

Sunday:This morning went alright. We got up and ready to go to ward council this morning and went to look at the phone and noticed we didn't have it so we had to run home quick. We got to ward council and that went well I feel like.  Elder Black and I split for church today, I went to Sells and he stayed. Sacrament down in Sells went really well I feel like other than we were super late getting down there. Not too many people showed up which was somewhat expected. After church Brother Freeman (my temporary companion) and I went over to a disabled member's to bring her the sacrament. Super nice couple :) After that, we came home, did some studies, and left for dinner at Gary's place. Went to the Rees's home for our Sunday evening message and dessert. Elder Blacker hit his 18 month mark so he burned some pants. That was an adventure and we even related the burning pants the the message we shared with them. 

I would like to share a quick message about obedience to the commandments and the importance of exercising our faith, getting out of our comfort zone so we can grown. Below is a diagram I wrote up for this message. This is the science of growing your faith in Christ if that makes sense. Our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can comprehend and gives us commandments to follow to direct us on to the right path. These commandments that He has blessed us with are not always easy to follow and do take effort. With every trial we go through, as we put our faith in Christ, and keep the commandments no matter how difficult it may be, we will be blessed. With every principle we are given is an invitation to follow it. In the diagram you can see how when we first start a new habit, it is hard, and that may be the case sometimes. Although, overtime as we continue to apply these principles, they become less and less difficult, and we grow closer to Christ in the process. Now just like a person going to the gym has to increase their weight over time to gain more muscle, we have to challenge ourselves in the routine of whatever we are doing. By doing this we will receive greater blessings and become a better person. I promise you all that as we are obedient, we strive to challenge ourselves, allowing ourselves to grow and progress, and become more happy. You will not ever fall! I love you so much! I hope this made sense to you :) if not ehh... I try. Have a great week! Love ya!

Week 72

AREA: Tucson—Midvale

COMPANION: Elder Blacker

Monday: Today was an alright pday. We woke up this morning to do
laundry and the laundry room appeared to be closed so we went to a
laundry Matt instead. I feel like bringing them there was a better
option anyway... it seemed to have cleaned the clothes better. Other
than that we pretty much did what we usually do. Nothing too exciting.


Tuesday: On exchanges with Elder Ames for the day. He was my 2nd
companion for any of you that didnt know that. Had a lot of fun
catching up and doing missionary work. Its amazing to see how much we
have changed since we were last companions. Had a move today and had a
bit of a scare. Two of the mattresses we moved had bedbugs!! When we
got home we stripped down and put all of our clothes in trash bags to
throw them in the freezer. Went and showered and then had lunch with
the Jone's. After that we went and contacted some people, and tried to
go to some lessons that didnt end up happening. We did have a lesson
with the Bagley's which was pretty good. Brother Freeman came with and
was a big help.

Wednesday:Since the other zone leader had to drive up to our district
meeting anyway, we didnt exchange back last night. So yes, we had
district meeting this afternoon which was pretty good. We went to the
library which was different but pretty good. Went to lunch with the
district, went home, took a short nap, went and contacted some less
actives, and then spent the rest of the night doing the same stuff
after dinner.

Thursday: Today was not too bad. We went to foodbank for the first
time in awhile which was nice. After foodbank we visited with Faith
and had a pretty good talk with her. Tried to help her gain a better
understanding of the Book of Mormon and why it is so important. Other
than that we had dinner and stuff which was nice.

Friday: This morning after studies we started our planning. Ate lunch
and then went to Kim's for a lesson. Lesson with her went well. After
her place we went home and planned for the rest of the night pretty
much because we didnt have a dinner.

Saturday: Pretty fun day. This morning we went over to Gary's after
studies and did some service. Had lunch over there with some gospel
discussion. We then went straight over to the Provstgaards to help
them clean out the Castleberry's place. Turns out they were con
artists pretty much and have been traveling all over conning people
out of money. After they moved out the "new renters" came to move into
the place. Thing is... they don't own the place, they didnt have the
right to do that. The guy that came to move in had already paid a $450
deposit as well to Joe... things like this had happened multiple times
in the past. Spent a good amount of time doing that. The Castleberry's
left a bunch of junk in the place so they let us take whatever we
wanted. Got some new furniture which was nice.  Rest of the night we
spent with Henry till we had to go home.

Sunday: Happy New Year! Nothing like celebrating New Years as a
missionary. Nothing like a time change haha church meets at 9:00 now
instead of 1:00. Had a meeting in the morning which went well. Church
was pretty good as well. The speakers were pretty good and the lessons
were good as well. After church we went home, ate lunch, and did
studies. Had dinner with a fun family in the ward and then went over
to the Rees's home for a lesson.

Genesis 10:17--
        And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he
said,                    Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou
in all the plain; escape to      the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

This scripture is brought up in the story of Lots wife and how she was
told to not look back at the past they were leaving behind. When they
were leaving she looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. We
can learn form this story by learning from our mistakes and not
dwelling on them. When we repent of our sins fully, God doesnt even
remember them anymore so why should we. This new year, make a goal to
not look back and live everyday like a new year:) I love you all!!
Happy New Year!!

Love,

Elder Smith

Pipe I found while cleaning out the Castleberry's p.s. I cleaned it completely first.

Week 71

AREA: Tucson—Midvale

COMPANION: Elder Blacker 

Family & Friends,

Monday: Pretty typical pday other than the fact we didnt go to sports.
This morning our laundry card wasn't working which was annoying so it
took an hour just to get it started. After all that we did all the
usual stuff... cleaned, ate, showered, and shopped. Went to the
library for a couple hours before dinner. Had dinner at Buffalo Wild
Wings with some sisters from the ward. When we got there a member came
up to us and asked if he knew where the ward meets which was pretty
cool. After that we spent the rest of the night just doing whatever...

Tuesday: Super fun day:) instead of having a typical Tuesday, we had
the Christmas Conference. Had a lot of fun there and got to see a lot
of missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time. At the party we
had a few fun activities such as making snowflakes, writing notes to
the temple construction workers for the temple, socializing, and
eating a bunch of food. At the conference, President and Sister Passey
invited everyone in the mission to read the Book of Mormon by Easter.
While reading it, we are to pick a principle or purpose behind our
study. Excited to get started on that, I just need to pick the topic
to study. After the meeting we went and saw the temple site and it is
looking beautiful. Nothing has changed much on the outside, but I'm
sure the inside changes everyday. We then went home, went to dinner
with Sister Dilley at Fry's, who by the way is AWESOME!!! She gave us
two giant bags of grocery's too!

Wednesday: Happy first day of winter! Haha kinda a joke, it rained on
and off all day. This morning we were kinda just bouncing around
trying to find things to do. We met with Sister Cole and she was super
nice and gave us each some money:) such a big help:) we then helped a
potential investigator family move stuff out of a storage unit into a
U-haul and it took a lot longer than we thought it would. It made it
so we were about an hour late for our dinner. After dinner we just
went home for the night.

Thursday: Today was a pretty good day. I had a doctors appointment
with my psyche and had a pretty good appointment with him. After that
we wanted to try this authentic Philly cheesesteak place which was
very good. They import there bread in from Philly and you can
definitely tell, its stale ;) jk Its amazing. After that we headed
over to someone's house to help them move some things. Picked up a
package from Savannah at the office:) and then had dinner with sister
dilley again but this time at Costco. We then helped a new family move
into their house.

Friday: Today was a pretty awesome Friday. This morning was kinda
disorganized because we had to pick up some dry cleaning. After that
we went home to do some studies and then planned until we had Kim's.
Went and visited her and shared about forgiveness. We then went home
and planned for a little before then having to go to Sells for a
fireside they were having down there. That was a lot of fun and we
were able to meet some of the natives and hear the stories of their
ancestors.

Saturday: This morning was pretty good, we went over to the Olives's
house for breakfast. They are Tongan and they cook ALOT of food. It
was great and they even got us some presents for Christmas. They made
us work for them though, each package had a scripture on them that
related to what was in the package. We would read the scripture and
then guess what was inside the package. Most of the stuff was just
like toothpaste, soap, "cheer" detergent, and a few other things
pretty sure. Not sure if they were trying to send a message or not
haha. After that we went home and did studies before going out to the
Provstgaards. Learned that sister Provstgaards bother was the guy that
Leonardo DiCaprio played in the movie "Catch me if You Can". Super
crazy and that kid was a genius. After that we went to our Christmas
Eve Dinner at the Freeman's, had a lot of good food, talked with some
of their family, shared a lesson, and then went home. Elder Blacker
took a nap while I did some extra studies before heading over to the
Shulls home. Sister Shull wasn't feeling well and wasn't able to wrap
gifts for her grandkids so we helped her with that. We then went and
visited with Gary and had some very good Gospel conversation.

Sunday: Merry Christmas!! Started off the morning opening presents
from family and friends. Got some wonderful gifts that I am very
thankful to have gotten. The presents I got sent from my mom was an
sandisk xpand flash drive I can plug into my ipad, an electric shaver,
scripture cases, and some candy:) Savannah's mama sent me a pillow
case with a picture of Savannah and I on it. Also got a giftcard which
is so handy:) #poorascrap Savannah's package was super cute, it was
decorated for Christmas on the inside and had cute messages to me.
What she got me was a new sweat shirt, a bracelet, a super cool plant
growing inside of a dinosaur, a copper bracelet that she has one of as
well, and some smelly stuff:) I absolutely love this time of giving:)
Yes I could have been perfectly fine without these gifts but then I
wouldn't be smiling. Haha We had a great sacrament meeting singing a
lot of songs and listening to people sing. After church we were able
to skype our families which was a lot of fun and it was great to see
such familiar faces. Very blessed to have such an awesome family:)
After that we had dinner at the Rees's home and had a great time
there:)

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas. Now that Christmas is over
and the #lighttheworld challenge is over. Doesn't mean you stop
serving the best you can, trying to be a more Christlike person. I
want to invite you to commit to going out of your way to serve
someone, everyday this year. In the process, record the experiences in
a journal expressing the way you felt when doing it. These acts of
service could be as simple as going out of your way to open someone's
door or even pick up some garbage. Find something and do your best. I
love you all, I miss you all, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Smith

Week 70

AREA: Tucson—Midvale

COMPANION: Elder Blacker 

The Family & Friends,

Monday: Not too bad of a p-day. This morning it was the last p-day of the transfer, so we went to volleyball at the church to say goodbye to a few of the Elders and Sisters leaving. After doing that we went to a sister in Sahaurita's for a haircut. Took a lot longer than expected but it was pretty fun spending time there with Elder Blacker, Lundell, and Carico. After that we had dinner at an awesome families house. This family has 4 kids and 2 sets of twins! Super awesome family that is very driven to share the LIGHTtheWORLD message with their friends and family.

Tuesday: Not to shabby other than all our lessons canceled. This morning we went over to the transfer site to say goodbye to the departing missionaries. After that we went home and finished getting ready for the day. Had food bank as usual and had a great time. After food bank we went home so we could get ready for all the lessons we had planned which all canceled. We did visit with sister cole and Peters which was nice. Had dinner with Tyna and Hannah which was very delicious. Tyna made ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, veggies, and stuffing. It was practically a thanksgiving meal. It was very good, especially for a vegetarian chef.

Wednesday:This morning was kinda weird... Tyna had a drawer that was broken so I brought it home and spent some time this morning fixing it. Elder Blacker had his first district meeting which went pretty well. This evening we helped the Sisters in the relief society help set up for their Christmas gathering. It was pretty fun spending some time with the sisters in the ward and getting a bunch of yummy food. I had some pie that is definitely on my top favorite pie lists. Spend almost the rest of the evening there setting up, eating, and taking down everything.

Thursday: Fun day, instead of foodbank we went to Toys for Tots at this big warehouse. We had the opportunity to bag the presents for the people in need of toys for their kids:) I made sure to grab toys that were family friendly and would bring them closer together haha. We did actually go to foodbank for a little bit because we got out of Toys for Tots earlier than expected. Had lunch with Ludlow and Lundell because we had a bunch of leftover food from members giving it to us. Went over to the Freeman's and planned out what we will be doing to organize his things. He has a party rental business and there are chairs, tables, and such all over the place. I have written up a pretty good plan of what we will do, it feels very official. After that we had dinner with Henry and had some humongous pizza, it was a 24 inch pizza!

Friday: Spend the day weekly planning pretty much. Had dinner with the Icely's which was super great:) they're an older couple in the ward and brother Icely is the stake patriarch. 

Saturday: This morning we had a coordination meeting with brother Collingwood our new Ward Mission Leader. That went very well, he is driven and wants to help us with the work. He has been a ward mission leader multiple times in the past and has a very good idea of how to best help the work to progress. This afternoon after lunch we met with the Provstgaards, the people with all the animals. That lesson went very well and they have the coolest animals once again! They have a pet wolf. It literally is a wolf, not a dog/wolf mix... It is super cool! After them we had a lesson with the Castleberry's discussing our expectations with them and how they need to change how they are doing things currently. They have a past with mooching off of people... we pretty much told him you can't do that so what are you doing to do about it? The rest of the night was kinda slow until we had a lesson with Gary. 

Sunday: today was a pretty good sabbath. We had PEC this morning and then had church. Had some pretty big changes in our ward. The first counselor in the bishopric changed and the young men's presidency. Excited to see how this goes with all these changes. After church we went home and got ready to go to dinner at the Kotters. They have two little girls who are super cute and we shared a short message with them about Jesus. Had our usual meeting with the Rees family and had some very good conversation. 

Next Sunday is Christmas. It is one of the best days of the year. We do have a choice of how we make it one of the best days. We have a savior who love us very much and we have the opportunity to celebrate His birth. This Christmas, I want to invite you all to always remember Him. Focus on the sacrifice that our Father in Heaven made sending His only begotten son to sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world. Christ made it possible for us to live again, overcome sin, and one day return to live with our Father again. Merry Christmas everyone! 🏻🤶🏻

Love you all!

,Elder Smith