Week 66

Hey everyone! This week went by soooo fast!! We didn't have a whole lot to do the first half of the week because of Christmas and Christmas Eve. For the most part we just played sports at the church, and on Christmas morning we had breakfast with some members.

The other half of the week was pretty good though. We had a church tour last night with Sheila and her husband Armando and they're super solid. We just recently found them and they're interested, but right now the biggest road block is getting them to church. Their work schedules aren't very flexible, so we'll be praying for some miracles there.

Also I love being back in Lacey. Not only is it my very first area, but there's actually Hispanics here unlike in Port Angeles. So I've finally had a chance to use my Spanish a little bit more even though it's pretty rusty from months of not speaking it with anyone. While I've been here I've come across some stumbling blocks that I've needed to help myself with. They've made me humbler and taught me some things that I needed to hear. I know it was definitely inspired for me to come back to Lacey at this point in my mission.

In this area in Lacey we also get to work with a Samoan group that we're trying to turn into a branch. It's been super fun to learn a little bit about their culture and get fed a ton. We also play sports with them on Saturday nights to help fellowship them. We could use the prayers here too for helping us to find more people that have been prepared and are ready for what we have to share.

That's mostly all for this week though. I love you all and hope you have a Happy New Year!

-Elder Smith

Week 65

Hey everyone!! This week has been very busy! After saying goodbye to everyone in Port Angeles, we had transfers on Wednesday where I got my three new companions: Elder Isaac Thacker from Lindon, Utah, Jason Mose from American Samoa, and Nathan Parker from Atlanta Georgia.

The rest of this week has been full of trying to get to know the area. There's also a Samoan group here in Lacey that we get to work with, so we've been getting plenty of food, and it's been a lot of fun. On Saturday the Spanish branch down here had their christmas party which I got invited to, so I was able to say hello to some of the members that I knew from a year ago.

One thing that I've learned just from this first week here is the importance of finishing my mission strong. I've seen missionaries who have lost the motivation to do the work and it makes things hard.

I don't have much time left to write, but I hope everyone has a good Christmas this week and remembers the reason why we celebrate it. Love you all!!

-Elder Smith

New Address: 3600 14th Ave SE Apt 19-102 Olympia WA 98501

Leaving the Port Angeles zone and district

Elder Mose and I in the rain

Hot chocolate stand with my new district

Week 64:I'll be Home for Christmas

Zone Christmas Conference

Hey everyone!! This week has been pretty good. We got transfer calls on Saturday, and I'll be going back to Lacey!! I'm pretty excited to be going back around the same time of year again; it's kind of like going home. It's hard to explain. I'll be with Elder Thacker, Mose, and Parker, and Elder Thacker and Mose will be going home at the end of the transfer. It'll be pretty fun though. Just for some clarification, I'll still be a Zone Leader in the Lacey 2nd ward so I'll still be in an English area and not in Spanish.

We were able to go by a few of our investigators this week and we taught a few people that we haven't talked to in a while. We also had zone conference this week and it was pretty fun since we had a little talent show thing and a christmas gift exchange. However, I also had to give a training which wasn't so great, but oh well.

I don't have a lot to talk about today, but I hope you all have a good week!

-Elder Smith

When people give us food on the doorstep 

Overlooking the Sound

We had a hot chocolate stand for light the world.

Week 63

Hello everyone!! This week was fairly interesting. We were able to meet with a few of our investigators again this week. We haven't met with Alena for a few weeks because she's been pretty busy, but we were able to talk to her and recommit her to reading and praying.

We were also able to meet with Rhiannon which was great since we haven't been able to for a few months now. We had our lesson with her all set up, but the member who we were going to be going to wasn't home, so we had to find some last minute fellowship and go over there. Despite the stress of trying to make things work out, we were able to have a really good lesson, and the members were very supportive of her. She reaffirmed to us that she wanted to be baptized, and one thing that I learned from the members who were helping us is that sometimes we just need to go slow with our investigators and not just teach lessons every time, but build their faith and help them get their own testimony.

On Friday we had MLC and the ward Christmas party, both of which were good. Then on Sunday we were able to go to a wedding of one of our investigators. He's been meeting with the Jehovah's Witnesses as well, and they've been helping him and helped to arrange his wedding. So that was pretty cool. But that was mostly it for this week. Love you all!!

-Elder Smith

Week 62 Thanksgiving

This week was pretty good. We had a good Thanksgiving dinner with a member family, and then I got sick. Again. Then this Saturday a member took us down to Puyallup because someone that Elder Jensen taught got baptized, so we drove 2 1/2 hours to watch them get baptized, and then drove back. It was a long day but pretty good. But other than that not a lot happened. Sorry for the short email this week. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

-Elder Smith