Wednesday, June 25, 2014

it wasn't about me

Hola hola!

Wow time is really flying by fast. This thursday our new mission President should get here. I don't even know what to think but here it comes oh well. By the way it's still just really hot all the time. I'm just used to sweat pouring down my face constanly so that's that. The food is still really good. You all have no idea the paradise I'm in...


I'm just going to start off with the baptism because it went super well! We got permission for Elder Lier to come back and baptize him. He was super happy, and really surprised! So many people showed up too, he had so much support. It was great to see how happy his wife was! 

So Elder Morgan and I sang in the service. That's right, I sang. I was super super nervous. I don't even know what happened haha I was so darn nervous cause i hadn't sung in like a year. Well I could hardly breath the whole time and I kinda just liked croaked out what i could. Thankfully Elder Morgan held himself together, and he sang very beautifully. For most of the song, I sang the alto line so that was probably a good thing. Also i'm super glad that it was a baptismal service and that it wasn't about me, and that the video file is too long to send :)

This week would have been a super successful week if it wasn't for thursday. We just walked around and couldn't find anyone but the rest of the days were pretty awesome!

Yesterday I gave the recent convert a giant picture of the Tijuana temple so that they could put it on their wall, so that they can always have the goal to go to the temple as a family! They are just so darn great, and they have such strong desires to keep on enduring :) it was really great.
We have been running from appointment to appointment (most of the time) the time has just really flown by. We found A LOT of new investigaotrs and I'm super hopeful for a lot of them! I hope you are all happy. I'm sure that I've forgotten a lot of stuff but oh well.
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Tengan una buena semana!
Elder Smalley

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Another Miracle: prayer works better than a cell phone

Today is my 6 month anniversary of entering the campo misional. Wow. I'm still adjusting to leading the area. It's a lot different leading after six weeks instead of after 13 weeks! (as it was in Reforma) I've made a lot of mistakes this week, but I feel like I've also grown a whole lot so that's good! 

On Tuesday we had exchanges. The former assistant to the president came with me. That was super nerve-wracking and tough, but we ended up actually having a really good day. We had our last zone conference with the President. They are leaving the 26th. it was way sad.

The other night, we as missionaries put together a ward family home evening, and it went super well! We acted out the restoration by building the church with plastic cups, knocking it down, building up little churches, and then finally building it back up again. It was a big success! Then we broke the piñata that we weren't able to break last monday, haha! It was really a fun day.


Well we are going to have a baptism this week! I'm so excited, it has been a very special experience. I really hope we get permission for Elder Lier to come back for the baptism!

Our Zone with our President
This Sunday was kind of a miracle. We ran out of credit on our phone saturday night. I pretty much panicked because I thought that meant that we were going to have no investigators in church. I got really frustrated with myself. I feel like this whole week I've been caught between knowing I can do better and not knowing what more I could have done. I guess I'll have to work that one out some day. Anyway, I just prayed super hard that by some miracle people could come to church without us reminding them and it worked! We got to church and everyone that we expected to come was there! Pretty cool!

In other news, I am now wearing a back brace. Yep, I have officially caved in. I talked to the president's wife and she took me to some medical store to pick it up. I'm officially THAT Elder. but it is super nice. It really takes away the pain, even if it's hot :)


LOVE YOU ALL, HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

7 Months???

June 9, 2014
Okay, didn't I just barely complete 6 months?

Vending Nieves (a Mexican water-based ice cream made with natural fruits)

I have no idea where the time goes. Seriously. Well I'm here in Casa Blanca still, but I have a new companion. He's another greengo. He's tall and white as well. That never happens. When the President announced it everyone like gasped haha. 



Well it's just hot and I'm just getting used to it i guess. This week was a tough one, but it came out very rewarding. The husband of the active member that we have been teaching finally accepted a baptismal date!!!! I can't even tell you how happy I have been. I never would have even thought. This gospel changes people. and the Lord really brings about His miracles. I have never been so excited to see someone progress before! It's pretty fun stuff. Last night we stopped by and explained that Elder Lier would be leaving. He was really sad. He said that he has never had an Elder explain the doctrine so clearly before and he really wants Elder Lier to baptize him. We all just cried. Hopefully we can get permission for him to come for the baptism. 

This week was interesting. I almost spent more time in other wards because I was tossed around so much so that my companion could do exchanges and evaluate everyone. We were supposed to have a baptism on Thursday, but it didn't happen. Stuff like that is tough sometimes, but oh well. 
I would just like to say that it is such a blessing to have sister missionaries in the same ward! It is really nice because they can help our investigators in ways that we can't and vise versa. Well we have really come a close knit group, and have a LOT of inside jokes. Last Monday we made a minion pinata and this morning we broke it haha!

I don't really have too much more to say, except we almost burnt the house down cause we left the iron plugged in........I won't say anymore. What I lack in words I definitely made up for in pictures this week.
well I love you so much, take care another week and WRITE ME PLEASE haha just kidding, but seriously!



Elder Smalley!

Super Great Week

June 2, 2014
Familia!
It´s been another HOT week, so that´s been pretty great. This week was super great, super fufilling. Usually I´m like still devasted after Sunday because everybody promises to come to church and then they don´t, but this week ALMOST everybody came. It was a good feeling :) 

We´ve actually had a lot of success. I blame our district meeting. We talked about how we could improve our planning sessions. Well we decided to put in practice what we learned and the blessings just hit us like a wall! There was not a minute this whole week that we had nothing to do! It was SO MUCH FUN! 

Also I just had one of the greatest lessons of my life yesterday! Since I got here, we have been working with the husband of an active member. When I first met him, he did not want to read the Book of Mormon or accept any other commitment. His progress so far has been amazing. He is now reading with eagerness, he has gone to church every week, and he is understanding and enjoying our visits. I think yesterday he really realized the importance of baptism, and not just doing it as an obligation to his family. I don´t know if I explained it alright or not but it was just great.

The ward is really growing on me. Sometimes it´s been frustrating because I´m not sure that they understand that we are here to assist them, not to do a separate work. We received a new ward mission leader, and I´m really hopeful about him. The members that have gotten involved have really been great, and I´m so grateful to them.

On Saturday the sisters in our ward had exchanges and so there were 4 Americans in one ward. that was fun haha. we took some pictures just because.

Horrible news. I have lost my aerial officially. I am getting so fat I can barely get myself of the ground anymore. Sad stuff. Well I hope everything goes very well for you guys. HAPPY GRADUATION ERINN!

Here are some pictures of the AMAZING food I get to eat every day and also the one I couldn´t send last week!


con mucho amor,
Elder Smalley

Memorial Day

May 26, 2014
Hola Familia!
Happy Memorial day! I really wouldn't have even known haha. This week has actually been super cold. It was way nice, and a much needed break. It's back to hot again today, and I'm thinking that it's here to stay. Oh well.

We had a lot of exchanges this week so I've been all over the place. This week I am just baffled. We tried so hard to get some investigators to church. They even came to a ward FHE (that we, the missionaries planned and carried out) friday. Their kids really enjoyed themselves and I was so sure that they would come, and they didn't. That basically explains every Sunday haha but this week was particularly heartbreaking. 
On a better note, some investigators that we weren't even expecting to come came!

This week we did our first splits as a companionship. They are always super awesome. It's just sometimes really hard to find willing members to do it! I had a really good lesson. Except I guess the Hermano that I went with took it as an opportunity to relive his glory days from his mission hahaha. he talked most of the time and he put the bautismal date hah! I guess that's a nice problem to have.

I guess that i am finally getting my way around the area so that's good. Also, I just really love the food still! I don't know, I guess that this week has gone by super fast and I don't even know what has happened. I'll try to have more awesome expiriences next week! 

I had one picture but I can't figure out how to send it from this computer.
Love you all!
Elder Smalley