A lot happened this week - and we did not talk about any of this on Christmas

Oh my GOODNESS i have been so excited to share with you guys some of the coolest experiences of my ENTIRE LIFE THIS WEEK

Anyway so I am going to apologize for the call because I was sick and don’t remember a lot of the call but apparently everyone else remembered and liked it so that’s chill.

I want dad to tell me how Jimmy is doing! I got to talk about him this week and would love to hear from/about him.

Ok, ok, ok, so these past couple of months have been months of a lot of diligence, months of rejection, months of walking but the Lord was testing us, and we passed!!!!! This week we had a man come up to us and tell us he wanted us to teach his daughter the gospel, and so we put a cita for Sunday, thinking this is going to be incredible.

On Sunday, we show up to church, and during the three hours, two more people show up to church out of nowhere asking us to teach them about God and help them get over various problems they had.

We had two of the most spiritually powerful lessons I have ever had in my entire mission on Sunday, and it was so incredible!  Now we are teaching David, and Dana, and Miguel, who are all looking like very quick progresors in the gospel. 

Ah, this is the best part of the mission!  I had the opportunity to exercise the power and authority of a servant of Jesus Christ and promise blessings from on high, and feel the Holy Spirit give testimony of my words.  Ah, there is no other place I would rather be and nothing else i would rather be doing!

I love all of you! i wish i could share more, but we are (as usual) short on time.  Take care!

-Elder Smiley

Christmas Eve Letter

Monday 24 Dec 2018

HOW IS EVERYONE DOING BACK HOME?

This has definitely been a week of diligence i tell you what because practically everyone we knew or were going to look up is on vacations right now and wont be back until January. We have a large list right now of people to start looking up January 2nd.

We have been working on getting more members involved in missionary work right now since practically half of our ward (or it seems like it) are returned missionaries, and they love us because the missionaries a couple changes back were not very into diligence or obedience, and then we showed up like PREP THE FONT PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE TAKIN THE DIVE and they are loving it.  It’s been a lot of member visits, but all in all we are looking like a busy January.

I would say more but I will see you guys tomorrow, I love you guys!

-Elder Smiley

PS: Can’t send pics because this computer is quite the dinosaur

This letter is all over the place . . . death & Christmas & Transfers & a new old couch. (ehew)

News! I am staying here in Angelópolis and I am staying with Elder Hall as well! it is gonna be a rich experience I tell you guys what. I really am excited to stay here and work with Elder Hall, but 3 changes is too much even for the best of companions. But oh well we are gonna work our buts off and get some solid work done.

We are both really excited about the area though, we have some plans for these next few months and cant wait to put them into place.

The new zone is looking a bit rougher.  we have been blessed with a really chill zone these past two changes, but now we are getting some elders with a couple of problems and this is gonna be new for us, but oh well, we will keep working and loving and praying.

So this week a lot of members have not been able to give us food so instead they just gave us $$$ to go get burgers or tacos or pizza and we have felt like complete garbage health-wise.  So when we finally get to some members who give us vegetable soup we demolish our first bowl and then beg for more. Turns out the members didn’t think we would actually want that soup so they made a little bit as a formality. When we ask they look at us and say ¨you actually want more?!¨ We all had a good laugh after.

Over the past two weeks we have been the first responders to two accidents.  One of a motorcycle crash that wasn’t too intense, and the other to what appeared to be a seizure.  the second one really hit me because we all thought it was a seizure but turns out a vein in the back of the kid´s neck burst, stopping bloodflow to the brain and thus resulting in convulsions and vomiting.  He was dying while we were all thinking he would be fine after a trip to the hospital. He passed away in the ambulance on the way and we found out the next day when we went with his neighbors to see how he was.  Lots of reflecting that day.

Sorry to end on a sad note, but it is helping me realize a lot of temporal and spiritual things, plus some great themes for personal study. I love ya’ll and can’t wait to see the fam on Christmas!  This is all so good to hear, man I love the mission, but Christmas with the Smileys is another thing!

Found a couch on the road, checked for mice, couldn't find any so we now have a new couch in the apartment!

 

Typical missionary apartment, only the essentials!!

I assume this is the new couch!!

A member lady wanted a flower and the bush was too high, missionary to the rescue

Goodbyes are always tough...

...and tougher when they involve younger kids 

Good investigator!!

Another post from Puebla Mexico . . .

Monday 3 December 2018

Mark John Smiley

HEY EVERYONE HOW IS EVERYTHING? 

I loved all your letters, especially the discrepancies between Cody’s emails (WE GOT 8 INCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and mom´s (we got around 4 inches of snow this week). 

We are writing a bit later today because for our leader´s council this month President Alcalá wanted to make a huge basketball/Volleyball/futbol tournament which lasted QUITE A WHILE NOT GONNA LIE. almost all day honestly.  but it was awesome because I saw quite a bit of homies in the mission.  Always love happy reunions. 

Worst part was while we were playing volley against President´s team, presidents Jordan’s didn’t help him from spraining his ankle just like I did two years ago on Halloween.  Poor guy.  And the zone conferences are this week jaja #whoops.

this week was pretty hard on the optimism because Puebla pulled a Seattle and decided to rain  in a drizzling (very unlike Puebla), heavy dark clouds, and biting winds for two days straight kind of way.  I usually love this kind of weather but not when we are working our hardest to find people and walk the streets all day.

Kind of a downer this week was the fact that we spent a ton of time trying to get members to invite their friends with them to the Christmas Devotional from Salt Lake, and so many (SO MANY) said they were going to bring friends and we were expecting a huge turnout and then most of the members didn’t even show up.  

Not the most exciting week but one thing I love about the mission is that when i teach someone and can feel the Spirit telling these people how much God loves them, there is no other place on earth I would rather be. Love all ya’ll, enjoy the snow for me, and thanks for your prayers. 

-Elder Smiley