Hello Family,
Thank you so much for your emails and pictures. I am super, super impressed with the new hot tub setup. Looks pretty good Mom and Dad! But I’m was super sick looking at that picture and realizing how big Addi is! She is stinkin’ tall!! But I’m so glad to hear that all is well with Aunt Camy. Tell her I’m thinking and praying for her and I love her and her family. As well that’s crazy that Justin is already back. Before you know it, Garrett will be back to! I was just thinking about that the other night, haha. Pretty crazy. So Chan, it sounds like your doing so well. Just finish up this last week and then go home! Haha! I’ll be praying for you, bud. And as well I wanted to tell the grandparents and Jay Hi! Love You!
So San Benito.....San Benito is the neighbor area to my old one. We split the country road that the Hernandez family lives on, but I can’t go see them. We are in the Harlingen Zone, so we don’t ever see anyone from Brownsville. My area is a lot alike to my other one as far as the country area. But in town it’s really, really old and run down. There’s not any "nicer areas" here but I love it cause it seems that people are a little more humble. When I got in they had just had 2 baptisms but didn’t have any other investigators, so this week we began the search and it was a GREAT WEEK! My companions name is even whiter than mine. His name is Elder Merica. He’s from Utah and is literally like a Jonny Merrill in missionary form, haha. Super, super funny kid. I like it because he’s got that same sense of humor and Jordan, Jonny and Tyler and that group. I’m convinced they knew each other in the pre-existence. He’s been out about 4 transfers and he’s a great missionary. Doesn’t speak really any Spanish, but we are working on it! My district is just a four man district and we all live together. We all cover our own Spanish Branch and then all the missionaries in Harlingen cover the English one which is in Harlingen.
It’s been kinda a tough week with leaving my old area and coming in with nobody to teach, but I feel like we have got the ball rolling. After the first 2 days we hadn’t found anyone and we were working hard but just nothing was going. We had a meeting and so we went to Harlingen to meet the Branch President. I asked him for a blessing just to kinda get a relationship with him and start off on the right foot and man, he said exactly what I needed to hear. I had, had those feelings of missing my other area and wondering if I could fall in love with this new one and in the blessing he said, "Elder Smith, the Lord knows that you have loved many people on your mission...But I bless you at this time, with the ability to love these people more than you have loved before." And at that moment I felt like I kinda checked into San Benito for good.
We began to find some great people and get to know more members and I have already received so much love and support from them. I’m so excited to serve with them, especially in the Spanish Branch. I may be kinda biased but I play favorites with Spanish branches. And I already am starting to feel at home. I may search for a Spanish Branch in I.F. when I get home, haha! But I love it because now I get to be part of the Priesthood Exec. meetings in the branch with all the presidents and leaders of the branch. And I would like to bear my testimony that, the church is the same no matter where you go. And no matter what language or area, they are just as random and unfocused as any others, haha!
SO San Benito is really warming up to me and we have a lot of great people now. I just keep praying for our success and for that love, but i feel it coming quickly!!!
It’s such an amazing time in the mission. I feel when the tides change so to speak, and I start looking forward instead of back. When a shirt and tie are called "normal clothes", and I feel more naked without my tag then I did without my cell phone. This is just life. I feel like I don’t know any different, haha. But it’s a pretty good life I’de say. And such a blessing to be here in San Benito.
I love you all so much and a pray for all of you day and night. I love you all a bunch and I’m so grateful for everything you do! Take care this week. Kids have fun at school. And I will hear from you soon. Take care :)
Love, Elder Smith
