No pictures this week. Short emails this week!

Monday February 26, 2018

I´m excited to see the house!  how are the Farr boys doing helping you out?

I imagine the BYU ward is great.  With all the young people who are so willing (i hope) to help and participate I bet it´s a blast.

Ok here are some investigators who are really promising but need an extra push

·Maria De Jesus - That she can realize conversion is a personal thing and she shouldn´t wait for her poor excuse of a husband to come home to be baptized (long story, but to summarize, he left her alone with two kids to work in Mexico City, and now wants to return home)

·The Ascensión family - that the father (Bulmaro) can find a stable job, and that right now in such a busy time in all their lives they can set apart time for our message and rekindle their desires to be baptized. 

·Kike - that he can really get his act together and show his faith in the Lord through his works (freaking baptism)

·Hermana Carmen - that she can continue listening to us and enjoying the spirit we invite

·The Vargaz Toloma couple - that we can find them at home, and that they can start to progress in the gospel

And last of all,

The members of this area to get excited about missionary work!

Sorry I’m not so incredible this week, it´s really been rough, but not too much to knock us down!

-Elder Mark Smiley

Life in San Luis Potosi is rolling along.  Elder Guerrero and I did our laundry (by hand) again and I will be ready for an automatic washing machine.  I was excited to get a box from you this week.  It had sandals, socks and a shirt in it.  THANK YOU!!!!!!!! It’s probably my last of the mission, right?

Keep praying for my investigators.  Keep praying for the members to work with us.  Thanks for the help with getting my classes and apartment for this fall set for me.

Elder Cody Smiley

PS:  See you in 3 months!!!!!

Heating up in Mexico, the weather and the investigators!!

Elder Cody Smiley

No manches (kidding) this week was crazy!

We worked pretty hard this week and we saw all the fruits for our labors!

We had intercambios with  some different elders and we just had a blast!  We had a great time just talking and playing uno! I won Uno you should all be proud I won like 50 games jaja

When Elder Guerrero and I returned to our area we got to work with our investigators! We visited all of them and taught them good lessons!

Sunday comes around and we did divisiones with members of the ward so we could go for our investigators.  We left the church and came back and BAM 9 investigators in the capilla!!!!!!!! The ward was so surprised!

Thanks for all of your prayers.  Prayer list:  Miguell, Silvia and familia and Sergio y Maria.

-Love, Elder Smiley

...on the elevated track!

I don´t have a lot of pics #sorrymom

-Dope week.  Super duper incredibly busy.

-Tuesday I was still feeling chafa, so we didn´t leave the house until about 12 to grab some medication and then eat lunch and start the day. 

-The highlight was definitely a family home evening about the word of wisdom.  We were talking about what it means ¨hot drinks¨ and after we had finished chatting about it, their 13 year old kid pipes in and says ¨ I know why we shouldn´t drink hot drinks. ¨  We all look at him quite expectantly, and he proceeds: ¨ imagine you just bought the most incredible hot chocolate in the world, the most delicious and hottest of all eternity.  Now imagine you´re drinking and enjoying it, but have to go, so you get in your car and start heading towards your next appointment.  Still enjoying the hot chocolate, still enjoying life, when all of the sudden someone CUTS YOU OFF AND YOU HAVE TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES.  WHAT HAPPENS? YOU SPILL ALL YOUR FREAKING HOT CHOCOLATE OVER YOURSELF AND GET BURNT SUPER WAY BAD. ¨ Then he sits down like he´s just given the best sermon of 2018, and says ¨THAT´S why we can´t drink hot drinks¨ so matter-of-factly you have to think its 100% true what he says.

-Also interviews lasted 5 hours longer than they should have, thanks to the hermanas, and I fell asleep in church next to a family of investigators.

-Love yall and enjoy your week.  The scrips are the way to your salvation.  Mark them!

-Elder Mark Smiley

Here we are with the AP's

Short letters & lots of pictures. Mark has now arrived at where Cody and Dave left off. "Sorry, no time to write.....here are some pictures"

Elder Cody Smiley

Well this week was good but not as good as last week.

Sergio and Maria are not married so they cannot get baptized.  BUT, the ward is helping Sergio and his first wife get divorced after that Sergio and Maria can get married and BAM AGUA!  They are progressing really well.  They just need to get the other details taken care of!

Silvia introduced us to her family and they are golden! They did not go to church, so that was sad.  But, we will not drop them because they need the gospel and us! 

We worked a ton extra hard this week.  I will tell you that I am just so sore. My knee is killing me.  If I tell Hermana Hernandez she will probably send me home early...... she is REALLY famous for that.  So, I will not tell her and stay on my mission as long as I can.

Presidente gave us a TON of new rules.  Now, Elder Guerrero and I are making the most of it.  We can only playing soccer on preparation days by ourselves.  That makes for an interesting soccer game! Honestly, it is not that bad.

Prayer list: 

Miguel to get baptized on February 27

Silvia and her family to listen to our message

Sergio and Maria to get their divorce so they can be baptized

Walking the tracks home

Mission graffiti 

New hobby collecting soccer jerseys

Elder Mark Smiley

The zone activity!

Smiles, found a little piece of Spain

Dept store from Spain

I was fortunate enough to be blessed with this lil surprise at church on Sunday.  Thanks Hermana Garcia for taking time to visit me!  (Hermana Garcia is the mother of Mark’s good friend Ana that he grew up with in Spanish Fork)

Breaking a fast with the best district #donascaras

Lending service

¨Where do you guys live? ¨

Skinny one on top!!!

Christmas in February........Bunches of investigators!

Elder Mark Smiley

Hey yo this will be short but don´t worry it will also be good!

So we had four baptisms this week, and I was the only available leader to go to all of them on the same day, and they were all over the zone! On top of that I was called to a leadership conference in the morning.  So we drove to Valsequillo, and then spent 5 hours talking about leadership.  Then we busted our butts back home to get to the first 3 baptisms (which started late), and then we headed to the other area´s baptism.  This time we took a taxi.  Except the taxi driver had absolutely no idea where anything was.  So we had to guide him through crappy dirt roads until we finally got to the other baptism.  Guess who was there?  The whole freaking ward was waiting for us to arrive.  We finally arrived and started the baptismal service, and my son baptized!!!! It was so good to see! I loved the services, but it was such a busy day.

That was a quick story of a fun day not gonna lie.  But yeah this next week we will be able to focus more on our own area thank goodness.

Also, super sick to know my old climbing coach has been called to my same mission! We await you here Taisha!

Also, not gonna lie -- a highlight of this week was to hear that the Eagles beat the Patriots.  That is a good thing to hear always. Always.

Not gonna lie—I have no more time.  So I love ya’ll.  Stay solid and stick to the scriptures.

-Elder smiley​

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PS:  The Christmas package arrived this week as well!  So you know darn well we are gonna bring out the Christmas tree and listen to Christmas music!

 

This was sent in November.....but it did get there!!

Notice the Santa hat, as kids we always had them wear those when we delivered Christmas to a family!

Legos never disappoint on a mission, Star Wars Legos are worth yelling about! 

...just a bit late!

Elder Cody Smiley

NO MANCHES  

This week was just crazy!

We started the week off sick.  After all of that time in the house and I finally get to start working again and I get sick.......... but, I did not want to stay in the house.  We worked and worked and worked!!!!! I was so sick with my stomach.  It just ached all of the time.   One day after the comida we had an appointment.  We were on our way to the cita (appointment) and my stomach just ached and ached some more.  I was in so much pain until I could not walk!Then I start walking really fast but the stomach pain goes away and I got sick on the side of the road.  We had to get home fast so I could change.   We stopped a taxi  to take us to the house.  I leave the taxi when we get home and I just open the door and run in the house.  The taxi driver asked my companion dude what was your companion recovering from???????  It was awful.........

Then the next few days we just worked and had a ton of success! If everything goes right we should have about 6 baptisms in Fresnos before I leave!

Later in the week Elder Guerrero got so sick that we had to stay in the house all day on Sunday.  Ugh !!!!!!!! But I needed that day because I was just exhausted!

Also today we played soccer.  I wore my Barca (Barcelona) jersey to the game and everyone saw me and started to scream: “Iniesta”! (Who just happens to be a professional soccer player).  It’s kind of cool because we look a like.  I think it is very funny.

We had a great week of work even though we were sick.  I can’t wait for all 6 of these baptisms!!!!!

Prayer List:

Miguel- so he can get baptized 27 

Silvia y familia-  They can listen to us and get baptized

Sergio y Maria y familia- To get baptized

That is the first close up of Cody we have seen 

This is Iniesta...

... and this is Cody doing a milk commercial as Iniesta.

P day and soccer!!!