Elder Smiley's Homecoming talk will be August 23rd at 9:00 am

Our church is in Spanish Fork, just off the corner of 1100 East and 1240 South

All are invited to the conclusion of Smile's adventure  --  and the start of a new one!

Last e-mail!!!

This is my last time writing to y´all unless there is some strange occurrence so I fell a bit sad but also a bit glad. I really have loved my mission and I love serving the Lord. What a blessing it is to serve the Lord everyday. Who knew that two years could go by so fast but they have and now I feel just as nervous as I was two years ago but now about the opposing things.

We had our last zone conference of my mission and it was very relaxing. I liked it and am glad I won´t have to go to as many meetings as i do here.

It really was a good conference and in it they gave a bit of time to Elder Ponce to talk about language study. He taught us about how we can better our language skills. Towards the end he asked if there was anything we wanted him to tell us. I asked him if there was anything that we say or in a certain way that is very gringo. He responded, ¨Let me think about my first 12 weeks in the mission.¨ Everyone that knew that I trained him was busting up laughing. Good man, good missionary.

The other Elders had a baptism and it was very calm and spiritual and well done. Allison and Gerard came and loved it. Allison still is not sure about being baptized. On our way home Gerard was telling us about his two girl friends. I asked him when he was going to invite them to church and he said ¨Are you kidding?! I don´t want them to catch me!¨ Funniest 8 year old ever!

He was actually running around at church also giving everyone the program and welcoming them. Good member.

We forgot the keys on Sunday morning and the other elders were on the other side of the ward and we had no way to eat or get our suit coats for the meetings until the other elders came back. We ran back into our area and my boy Carlos Marcos gave us chicken burgers and then we ran back up  and met with the other elders in Sabadell center to get the keys then run back to our piso just in time to get picked up by Orlando to make it to church on time. Miracles.

In Priesthood they always ask us if there are any visits they can come with us. When they said that Joanjo said ¨Elder smiley has a visit with an airplane.¨ and everyone busted up laughing and the rest in shock not knowing I was leaving. They then gave me a talk for next week and then some pictures.

In the evening we passed by Doris for her birthday and gave her brownies and she loved it. That is a great family and I wish the best for them!

I really have loved my mission and my areas. I especially love the people I have brought the gospel to. What a blessing it has been and what a burden it would be if I hadn´t come.

I thank all of you for your support on my mission and all the love you have given me. I wish you all the best of luck and look forward to communicating to y´all in a way other than an electric box and keyboard.

I love y´all and I love being a missionary!

Élder Smiley

Isaac

Happy Birthday Elder Smiley

Birthday Cake!!

Missionary work in the Digital Age

Familia Oscariz. (Joanjo and Yun and Eric)

I like the part about "I've already talked to you", pointing a Dave. Good job, talk to everyone you see Elder Smiley!!

Kind of a rough week looking at the end but during the week we had plenty of miracles and surprises.

This week was a fired visit gave us about an hour to go find someone. I told the member that we were going to go find someone to baptize. We talked with an old feller and he didn´t want anything but he said that someone on the 4th floor probably believes in God. We went and touched the first door. A lady opened up, let us in and loved it.

I was on an intercambio with Elder Johnston and we passed by someone I had contacted the week prior. We rang the timbre and she stated that she wasn´t very interested and hung up. As I was scratching off her name she asked if we were still there. We said yes and told us to come up. She then asked when we got up if we could teach her children about God because she didn´t know much and wants them to have a good foundation. I felt like a primary teacher. The kids running around, not paying attention, crying, and laughing. It was a mess but she liked it and wants us to return.

The things that were kind of rough were that María Jesus´ son is having family problems in France and now she left to go help him and she will be there through August. Frustrating. Ninosca and her family got a call from a friend who invited them to Switzerland for a couple weeks. In Spain people tend to go on vacations in August and it is a major pain in the rear. Also they are very lazy in August because they turn off their brains and go into a relaxation mode. ha

I´m really out of things to say. We talked with a schmack ton of people and they told us ¨I´ve talked with you (pointing at me) but not him, but it doesn´t matter still no.¨ We have talked with almost everyone in our area. It´s actually quite entertaining watching their reactions when we walk towards them and they don´t want to talk with us.  But then there is always that one that has been praying all day for someone to give them direction in their life and how our Father in Heaven puts us right in their path.

This week I also shared ¨What the Lord taught me on my mission¨. It´s like a testimony but we know that a testimony is what the spirit has taught us, and this is more like what we realized as we have been out here working. They asked me to go last and it was pretty rough because I have loved my mission so much and I guess it´s just a bit rough for it to come to an end. I´ll send an email next week more about this stuff, but in the mean time we need to go baptize the entire world!

If you would please pray for Allison, Yunis, Lilia and for our miracle contact that wants to be baptized before I go home.

Good work.

Thank y´all for your prayers in my behalf. It really is nice knowing you have a bunch of people behind you cheering you on.

Love y´all!

Élder Smiley