He is full of real charity for everyone

June 22, 2015

HEY THERE!


Okay I understand that I have to make up for last week so I will try to tell you everything that happened but then I realized that I can't even remember what I did the whole week except sweat a whole lot haha. It has finally started to get hot.


Well last week was stake conference and President Garcia came and gave the funniest talk ever! He told a bunch of stories about all the bad things that have happened to missionaries while tracting and then exhorted the members to give more referrals. haha pretty nice tactic if you ask me. Also that weekend the x Elder George came back to TJ with his family and it was way fun to see him again! His sister just got her call and said that she knew Erinn because they were in the same missionary prep class.

Camilo officially has one year baptized!!! Can you believe it? I can't! That day I was on exchanges with Elder Morgan and we had a really fun time. Well the work is still going a little slow here but yesterday we had a new family of 4 in church so that was good! I just really don't know how to help the ward. I want it to be like the Short Hills ward, where it was a WARD effort and not just a MISSIONARY effort. I have fond memories of playing with investigators kids, having investigators taught in our home, and just the members being involved with the process. I will keep trying with them.

Oh, today are transfers, but we are staying the same again! I am seriously grateful for my companion.

He is full of real charity for everyone, something that I am not. We met this man named Pedro this week who has serious drinking problem. While we were teaching him he just leaned to the side and started throwing up in front of us. I thought it was absolutely disgusting and maybe even a little funny. I looked over at Elder Hadley to see his face of genuine concern for this man. That is just one of the many ways that he is teaching me.

Happy Fathers Day dad!

Love you all!

I read exactly what I needed to learn in that moment

June 8, 2015

Hello!

Well It is finally starting to warm up a little bit here so that's good. My keyboard is really weird today just so you all know haha.

This week has been pretty tough as well. As far as investigaotrs, it has been really slow, but we have tried to stay busy, and to my amazement, 3 different familias menosactivos that we visited this weekcame to church! I was so happy!

My companion has decided he is going to help me prepare to enter into the real world (even though I STILL have a LOT left) and is now letting me know of everything that i do that will bother my future wife. After about 5 minutes of that, I came to realize that I have no hope of getting married. His response was that anyone can get married, but that my problem will be STAYING married. haha thanks Elder.

This week in our district meeting I talked about diligence. I was super excited about it! We analyzed The New Testament teachings of the Savior. My favorites were the Savior's profound warning in Lucas 17:32-33 and the example of the poor widow in Lucas 21:1-4. That is just so important. There are so many things out there trying to distract us from our real purpose. It is so important that we don't just give a lot of time and talent, but all of it! I am just so grateful for the scriptures. Every time I open El Libro de Mormon I read exactly what I needed to learn in that moment. That is so cool!

Oops I'm out of time again. 

LOVE YOU!Elder Smalley

All hope is NOT lost!

June 1, 2015

This week was super hard and frustrating so mom's email was perfect. Thanks a ton for that simple reminder because right now I am just really freaking out. 


Last week we had a lot of promising baptismal dates and now almost all of them have fallen. gah! I am not going to pretend that i don't know why, there is SO much more i can and should be doing! I am really grateful for personal revelation. How real it is. I am glad that the impressions we receive from the spirit and turn seemingly complicated things into simple ones. It teaches truth, whereas the adversary teaches lies that are so easy to believe  sometimes. 


All hope is NOT lost! we are just going to have to keep on! I love this. I really do! We just really need to find new investigators. It has been hard, because we are no longer allowed to knock doors anymore. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of street contacting, yay!



hmmm what else. Oh I spoke in church yesterday. Yes, I cried once again. I would really like to not be known in at least one ward for the Elder who cries all the time....

I usually don't participate in mission
traditions such as this, but my companion
has 6 months now so we did a
fire celebration ...huck fin style

HUGE shoutout to Shannon! I got three letters from her all at once!! Made me so happy! Where are the rest of you? I still get dad and grandpa's letters as well. So sorry, next week I promise a long letter!

Elder Smalley