August 29, 2013

Wow I love this place but the field needs me! I have been working my spanish very hard. Talking almost all the time because it helps so much! Last Thursday we all wanted to go to the European mall. Funny. It is just like American malls. ha It kind of stunk except i got some pretty schnazzy ties. I did also see Tate´s look a like, and Elder Ward started doing the thing Tate does with switching the first letter of both words. It makes me miss Tate quite much actually. I miss Mom´s cooking because the food still stinks but it´s just training.

I want you to meet my district when and/if I get home because Elder Streiff (from Billings) would have been a family friend because he is just like us. You just have to meet them. I Hope I am companions with Elder Streiff and Elder Ward while I am out there because those two do work!

The park was delicious this Saturday! I got to talk to a devout Catholic and he said that he wants to read this book because of how we bore our testimonies. It was super awesome. I was threatened 3 times because of my religion and just talking to people. it was pretty scary! hahaha This man was really interested and wanted to know more but he wouldn´t take the LDM because his conscience wouldn´t take it for free. So we gave him the address to the Distribution center. NOW the metro. I got on the metro started talking to someone and got so in depth in our conversation we missed our stop, got back on going back for home and missed it again because we were talking to some one else and almost missed it again. We got 3 contacts, 3 Libros De Mormon, and 3 referrals! That was the most spiritual experience. It was kind of funny with the lack of time we had to cut conversations strangely like “Yes it is Hot outside. Have you heard of the Book Of Mormon?”   “Wow cool dog do you want to know about a boy who wanted to know more?”    So funny!

We were talking about the tribes we are all from and Elder Oliver´s Seminary teacher is from Dan and Elder Polansky goes "DAN SUCKS!!! All they do is judge!" We all died!!!!

If you get the video of Tengo Gozo can you send it or get it to Brother Dickerson please? That is his favorite song!

Tell Freddy what up. I would like to hear some words of advice if he could. Tell Caitlyn congratulations, We´ll be close.

Sorry Cody we don´t get room service. hahahaha

We have to drive 10 minutes to the hotel and it is definitely a trial when I am trying as hard as possible to be asleep by 1030. It´s tough but we have grown.

On my way to soccer I wore my Messi jersey and this man, obviously a Madrid fan, said that Messi and Barcelona is caca and then he put his water bottle in front and acted like he was peeing at me. It was quite the experience.

There is a song some one showed me here called 2 years by Carly Barlow, you might like it.

I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support. I owe you all so much!!! thanks again. Next time I email I will be in Barcelona. Now it is my time to serve.

I said I would, and I did.

August 26, 2013

Our neighbors here in Spanish Fork have a daughter that married a man from Spain.  they are going to visit his parents and so we sent them with some things for Dave.  They went to the temple on Sunday to hear the missionaries singing and found Dave and gave him the packet they had for him and snapped some photos.  Does he look great or what!!!

Dave & his companion

Analece Booth, Javier, and Dave

August 24,2013

Someone from the Madrid MTC sent us some photos of Smiles proselyting in the park!!!  I am sure these two were soon looking for some white clothes!!

Close up of when they sing on the temple steps on Sundays.  

August 22,2013

The museum was pretty cool. It was very large and we barely covered any of it. It was cool to see the Catholic view of Christ and the plan. Every painting of Christ showed him in this miserable state that just made me want to cry. It is extremely sad about how they only view Christianity as all the miserable things in his life. All the paintings were of naked people which i guess kept all of us on our toes. hahaha. I got to see the famous painting of a ninja turtle!!! Rafael must have had quite the steady hand.

I got to listen to a special devotional by Richard G. Scott. He talked about prayer and how important it really is and how different it is in our religion. It really is. He also talked about the ways prayers are answered. It was pretty cool to talk about how my family wants to be answers to people´s prayers.

Elder Ward just pulled a Tate by switching the first letters in two separate words. It made me cry for twenty minutes.

The park was not as good as it usually was. We almost ran from contact to contact. It was so much fun until these other missionaries wanted to talk and they also wanted to listen which was cool but i wished we could have talked a little mas personas.  It is the Lord’s work though. Elder Daxton Allsop was my companion and he truly is a gangsta! This guy wouldn´t listen to us because we didn´t give the priesthood to women.

Sister Siterud, the mission president’s wife, broke her arm on Sunday night and it was a no bueno situation! Every missionary was there to help her, which was pretty cool to see.

What does Kim Johnson do? What can I say to him about her that will spark his memory?

BTW, my companion is is Elder Polansky.  

My P-day is on Thursdays but i don’t know about in 2 weeks. Whhhhaaaattttt?!?!?!?!?  Barcelona here I come! It’s coming fast!

I don´t know too much about us getting high tech stuff in our mission.  I know Japanese elders are getting cell phones and I pads. I guess we´ll see.

My Spanish is improving mega time! I can converse with almost anyone. Game on!

The MTC limit is about 75 and we have 101 missionaries. That is a little overboard. The hotel where we are staying is 10 minutes away and it is kind of fun to go cruising out of the MTC and to our hotel every night.

The MTC is great and I am so excited to see what the Barcelona Mission is actually like. Here we go!

Love you all! Thank you for your letters. Keep sending them!

August 15, 2013

Holy Smokes!  Spiritual overload!  We have a crazy time over here for sure!  I love everyone here.  My district is getting more and more crazy!  We got to listen to the Area President Teshiera.  The guy was a thug!  He knew exactly what to say to all of us!  He told us to talk to just everyone we see and to use the Book of Mormon.  No one really has faith in the power of the Book of Mormon except one member in my district.  Sad life.  I know that book will convert all of Barcelona when I get there.

I do love the MTC. I can see why Hermana Money never wanted to leave.  This random teacher came up to me on Tuesday and told me she saw an Hermana Money in the temple and for her to say hi.  Tell Ken that please.

The Sundays here are so difficult.  It is just meeting after meeting after meeting.  No learning. No personal study, just meetings.  They are long and I want to pass out so bad!  I;m trying to find some way to make them fun or interesting but I guess we'll see.

We have had about 5 or 6 speakers since we've been here and all they have focused on and taught is how amazing their experience was with all of their golden investigators.  When I got back to class I asked a teacher mow many of those you should expect and he said none.  I don't expect any because I know we are going to have to work to get them and the likelihood of the falling in our laps or knocking on our door is very unlikely.  Come on!  I want to hear how hard it is but how amazing it feels when you baptize that person that was so hard hearted at first but they came to love the gospel.  That is what I want!

We  got to see the Santiago Bernabau.  Holy Smokes!  Soccer people are psycho!  That stadium has some history.  Look at a virtual tour or something because it is so cool.  Kind of funny because that is FC Barcelona's rival.

I got promoted to District Leader.  It was kind of scary but I am coming to like it and I love the support coming from my district.  Today we are going to the second largest art museum in Europe-Prado.  Apparantly it's a big deal! Hahaha

The food is getting better but I think I am losing weight because it is just no bueno.  No bueno.  Lots of fish and not very much normal stuff.   Mom, get a recipe for gespacco and feed it to everyone, it is so good!!

Singing in front of the temple is such a great experience.  We may sound like squeaking geese but our teach said even though we sound that bad we are sining and belting the spirit and that's all that matters.  Quite the compliment.

I miss my movies and music.  I miss quoting movies with Mark and Cody.  No one gets my amazing jokes and it's tough.  All we listen to is MOTAB.  Get used to it right?

Best Part.  The Park.

My companion is Elder Morgan.  He is 18 and almost bald.  He has a muscle disorder and walks differently.  I told him that that will not stop us.  We literally ran from investigator to investigator.  He was pretty winded and so was I but it made the experience so much better.  The very first person we contacted said "- - - - you!  Do you UNDERSTAND?"  We laughed so hard that we had to take a break.  It was even perfect english.  I wonder where she learned English?  After we went over to this girl who looked nice and she totally shut us down.  Then we found a scary looking man with a large dog and I was definitely intimidated.  Elder Morgan said we probably shouldn't but I told him we had to!  We did and h was a Cuban who hated The Castros so he moved to Spain.  He was definitely there just for us!  The next man we spoke to and he was interesting.  I don't know if this next guy wanted to argue or what but he asked me how I knew the gospel was true.  I bore m testimony about the Holy Ghost and he said the Holy Ghost told him our church was b.s.!  I love this so much.  I got to talk to so many people about the gospel and everyone was so receptive and ready.

I love all of yo and I am so happy to be here!  See you in a very long time!

Elder Smiley

PS:  If anyone wants personal responses or such they need to write me because I don't have email time.

Elder David Smiley

Spain Barcelona Mission

Spain MTC

4a Planta

Calle del Templo No 2

Madrid 28030

SPAIN

August 1, 2013

I want all the letters I can. Tell people that i have no Email time so just email to the Madrid MTC. I love the Blog idea! Guys holy crap! Spain is so cool. Our first day we got here it was 9 in the morning and I didn´t get any sleep on the plane. It was the longest day. There is only one president for all of us. There is literally 20 people over capacity in this MTC. They trust me and my district to go stay in a hotel near by which kind of sucks i´ll be kinda honest but it is nice. After 3 days here they threw us into a park and we had to go and try and speak spanish in our broken terrible spanish. ha It was dope that me and my psycho companion placed a Book of Mormon and got a referral out of it! I don´t know if I´ve ever been happier. I have an Elder Ward in my district and the elder who was here before us was named Elder Ward and he got in the train wreck. We got to meet him and he has been all over the news and is like a celebrity here. He is an example to me to get right up after satan kicks us down. Straight thugging! I don´t miss my family, not even a little. I miss you guys but then I don´t because if i would be home i wouldn´t even be able to hang out with you guys. I know you guys in the field are killing it like crazy and Matt, I will be enduring the MTC experience with you bro. This is a totally different experience than provo i guarantee it. We get to talk to real Spaniards. Today we are going to the center of Madrid. If there is anything i can get you guys while I´m here i will. (tie,memorabilia, etc.) We go off campus everyday at 4 to play footsol (sue me) at a local park and the European elders and Teachers are so freaking amazing! Spanish was so hard at first especially with the Zeta(lisp). I was super depressed the first few days. Nothing went my way but now I am just enriched  with the Holy Ghost and the spirit is all I need. I don´t miss you guys at all. sorry but President´s blessing is coming true to the fullest. I miss you guys and reminder to tell people to write. Tell Jake Meservey good luck on his talk. I love all of you and i wish i could show you my new family. My district is my new family and i love them like brothers. I will keep you guys updated as well as i can. My journal entries are so delicious.

Mark I love the pics keep sending them!

Sorry i literally only have 30 minutes to read and type. My hands be cramping.

Good luck Dad with races and your terrible humor.

Good luck.

Madrid MTC Group

July 24, 2013

I´m alive. I love you guys. The plane ride was long and hard. I did not sleep much and I met tons of cool guys. Tell Brother Grubbs I read that fantastic book "Let it go". I really liked and related to him so well at this time in my mission and life.  How is the 24th? Give me details but don´t make me homesick. ha I love you guys and I love all the manners and principles you have taught me. The temple is gorgeous and the president is great.  I wish you the best of luck and I will keep you guys in touch. Do you guys want to do a blog? Or just forward emails? Friends were asking right before I left. Tell everyone I love them.