HURRICANE SEASON IN BROWNSVILLE

Hello family! 

You all sound soo good and I’m so glad that you guys got to go visit Chan, Mom and Dad. Looks like a lot of fun. I hope you didn’t get too burnt, you all look super red, haha. Down here my skin has gotten super used to it and I never burn and never get any tanner. Just stays the same. It seems like but we have had some pretty hot days. But I’m so glad you had a fun week together and it was so good to see those pictures. I hope everyone gets home safe and I hope you all can get prepped for the 4th! Not a better day than the 4th of July! Chan, I hope you are doing all right and don’t feel too bad about missing the fourth! Keep working hard! And Alex and Addi, I hope you’re doing well. I’ve got a letter on the way for Alex!

So this week was a super crazy week. It’s hurricane season here, hence all the charges on my card to buy my emergency kit. So this last week we have had the most insane storms. Throughout Brownsville there are Rasacas, which are like big winding rivers/canals that are super, super pretty, and they have like gators and big turtles and all sorts of cool stuff in them! But the last 2 days we have had insane rain. Like inches and inches of rain and all the Rasacas and streets flooded and most people couldn’t come to church because their whole street was under about a foot of water. We were working on Saturday and it was just coming down for like 5 hours, nonstop and we were just soaking wet and running all over the place through big puddles and stuff. It kinda slowed us down, but not much. We had a wonderful week this week, and saw soooo many miracles.

We started working with a part member family. Joe and Anna Laura aren’t married and Joe is a member, but has been in really bad stuff. His Dad is the Elders Quorum Pres. in Casa Linda and they are all praying that Joe can straighten out. But we started teaching them and Joe is so ready to be back to church and Ana Laura is so ready to be baptized. We had them both to church as well as their little girl Mia. They are such a great family and have plans to move out so Laura can get baptized and they are going to live the law of chastity for about a month until they can afford the marriage license. I love this family sooo much. 

As well, Andrea’s interview got moved to Tuesday and so PLEASE KEEP HER IN YOUR PRAYERS. She has been such a miracle and when she passes she will be baptized next Sunday!!!!  Also we have been working with Aurora still and her daughters lost interest but one of the daughter’s husband came back and kinda pulled things back together and the WHOLE family was at church! Like 6 people, and so we are working again to set some dates, but he is super golden and we are praying that things fall into place with them. And on top of all of that, two of the members we’ve been working with brought people to church and they are great as well! We don’t know what to do with all these people haha! The Lord really blessed us with miracles this week.

So to finish up the week, I got a text this week from President and he confirmed that I will be training this next transfer. I am SUPER excited!!! I hope my new greeny is ready to roll because we’ve got a plate full here! So pray that I can get an “Elder Calhoun”!! But I can’t even believe the blessings that I have received here and the many miracles I’ve seen. I am soooo grateful to be here in Brownsville. It is THE BEST! And the people here are just tooo good. And I love ‘em to death. 

I Love all of you so much and I pray you have a great week. Take care and enjoy your 4th. I will be at the Casa Linda building with the branch to celebrate. And they said that we can speak because we are the only "Real Americans" in the branch, haha, so they say. But take care. I love you all and I’ll talk to you soon.

Until next week, Love

Elder Smith

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY

HELLO! 

Man, your emails were so great this week! Sounds like a lot of crazy stuff going on up there. I’m so glad everyone is doing so well. I’m glad Addi and Alex’s games are going well! Addi’s got a good looking stance. She’s been watching big Al! She’s got the perfect role model! And I was sooo glad to know that the projects are still rolling. Mom supervising and cleaning up the mess, Grandpa working hard and lightening the mood. And Dad....the brains, braun, and attitude that sticks it all together! Haha I love all you guys soo much and I hope you are all enjoying yourself! Chan...don’t overwork yourself boy! Have a little fun!! And keep up the good work! Man, and all those pictures were so great! Tell all my friends hi and that I love and miss them. And tell the Ydes I miss them too! And the Rammells that I got their letter and I LOVED it! And tell the Grandparents hi and that I hope and pray Grandma is ok! I’m sure she is already back to work! It takes more than that to put her down! Oh, and tell JC congrats and I’m sooo proud of him that he made it to the temple. And Mom, that backpack is perfect! If you could order it and send it to the mission home, that would be great!!!!!

So, first off, this week was pretty crazy! After a baptism you want to keep things going. Something I’ve learned after Brother Mercado’s baptism. And so things are really looking up! We are still teaching Andrea everyday to get her ready for the 8th. We have had to do some adjusting, but she is progressing really well. Alejandra reads and prays with her every night. And she draws out what’s happening in the Book of Mormon with her and they are just doing so awesome!  We are learning some pretty good sign language along the way and are having to get creative, but it’s paying off!

So the miracle this week is with an investigator we have named Rocio. Such a sweet girl, about 26 years old and has a little girl (6) and a husband that works out of state. So Rocio didn’t want to accept a baptismal date because she didn’t want to do it without her husband being here. And he only comes like once or twice a year and so she just wasn’t really sure if it was gonna happen. So we just straight up told her, if you show your faith and set a goal, Heavenly Father will bring your husband home and soften his heart. So we set a goal for the 8th of July. We set that gaol last Friday, and we got a text last night from Rocio, her husband had just shown up, out of nowhere.  So she got her answer and now we just have to get her through. We are going to meet her husband tonight and see what happens, but I hope you will all keep her and him in your prayers. We just love Rocio!

So other than that, things are just great! We have a lot of people with dates for July and we are just working away with them! So many prepared people here we don’t even know what to do with them.

Other than that, there isn’t much to say. We are so busy, that we barely have time to think about anything else. Sometimes I want to think "trunky" just so time will stop going fast haha! The more I fall in love with these people and the more I value my time with them, the faster it goes. I hate it. I just love being here. I hate when people ask me how long I’ve been out because every time the number gets a month bigger. I wish I could always just say, 2 months. Still just a baby haha.

But I feel so at home with these people, just like it was all part of the plan and it’s right where I’m supposed to be. I love every single day, even the hard ones. Everyday I learn and grow so much and being part of the Lord’s work is all I could ask for. 

Family I love you all so much and I pray that all is well and that everyone is happy. Tell all the family that I love and miss them all. Take care this week family. (:  Love you much!

Elder Smith

LIZABETH & ALEJANDRA GET BAPTIZED!

Dad, Happy late Fathers Day!  Thank you for your emails and Dad I hope you had a wonderful Fathers Day. It was a pretty tough day too, thinking about Dad. In English Branch they had the normal Father’s Day program. The Primary kids sang the dad songs and I thought about you all day. I have been thinking about the last line in the Father’s Day song they sang where it says "I’m so glad that he’s my dad" and Dad, I’m so so glad that you’re MY DAD! And I love you a bunch! And even though I couldn’t be there, you know how much I was thinking of you!

  

So, there was so much going on this week to get the Hernandez’s prepared for baptism. So ill start at the beginning of the week! So you know last Sunday, Lizbeth passed her interview and Alejandra had just got back from Girl’s Camp. But Alejandra still hadn’t received an answer and didn’t really know why she really wanted to be baptized. She knew it was good, but just hadn’t received that answer. We worked all week with her with visual lessons and videos and just everything, but she wasn’t receiving her answer. So we were just praying and praying that she could get it before her interview, Thursday night. So Wednesday night, we go over for the last lesson and talk about the Spirit. We wrote out on the white board the feelings from our Heavenly Father and the ones from Satan. We talked about how if we do what God wants us to do we feel those good feelings, but if we aren’t, we will get the bad ones. So we came to the end of the lesson and knew she had to pray. She is kinda shy when it comes to praying so we brought some prayer candy to coax her. So finally she knelt down and offered up a prayer, in the words of a 15 year old girl. As she said “Amen” we waited for a few seconds for her to look for those feelings. She finally raised her head and. . . . nothing. She said she didn’t really feel anything. And so I asked, “How did you feel before the prayer”” She said, "Well nervous." And we said, “Who is that from?” “Well...probably Satan." And then I asked, “What did you feel as you waited after the prayer?” And she said, "I felt like I had no worries." And then she looked at us and then at the ‘Board of Feelings’ and instantly tears came, she got a big smile on her face and said, “That’s my answer, huh?” I said, “YES IT IS!!!!!!” haha.

So, needless to say, Alejandra passed her baptismal interview with flying colors. Lizbeth and Alejandra were baptized and confirmed yesterday by me and Elder Jackson and I have never seen such bright and happy and "clean" smiling faces. They were just glowing! We had nearly the whole branch there and it was just the most amazing day I could have asked for. A pretty good Fathers Day for our Father in Heaven, I’d say.

Things are going so well here in the Casa Linda Branch and I feel so at home here. There isn’t a lick of English spoken, but that’s ok because they know how to party, and they know how to love our new converts, and I have no doubts that this family will be active forever.  And I love them so dang much!

As far as Aurora, we are still teaching her in the hospital, but probably won’t make her date. But we can’t stop teaching someone that wants it so bad. I just love her too. she is the sweetest old lady. But we think she may be ok and get out someday in the future. Well keep praying.

So family, that’s all for this week. Thank you soo soo much for your prayers and support. I am so blessed to be here in Brownsville and I love every minute off it. I am "head over heels" for the people here, HAHA! Especially the newest and purest family in Brownsville Texas. I love you all and pray you have a wonderful week. Take care and until next week,

Love, 

Elder Smith

WORKING WITH THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY

So....What a week is sounds like there in I.F. Sounds like a good way to kick off the summer with a bunch of chores and new projects. Just don’t work yourselves too hard! Especially the kids. Take them to Lava or something haha! Dad I’m super excited to see your new project and I better get some update pictures every week! I’m starting to notice a trend of all my deepest desires coming true after I leave..(the new dog, the hot tub....Just don’t buy a Jeep haha, that would be the last straw!!!HAHA) But I’m glad all is well and especially with Chan. What a stud!

So I have had a pretty great week here. But I’ll start with the beginning haha because ever since I got here I have had a really bad cough. And I couldn’t get rid of it so finally I had to swing in to the doctor and apparently had "mild bronchitis." Whatever that is? haha So I got some medicine but still it’s not really going away, but I have been coughing all week. It’s super annoying especially in really spiritual, important lessons or in contacts. I’m just like hacking up a lung! And all the Moms in the branch are getting mad at me because I won’t do anything to get rid of it, but I have been trying! But I’m feeling fine now, but this week has just been so packed full!

So first off, the Hernandez family, Lizbeth (mom) Alejandra (16) Andrea(9) Alejandro(7) And Amanda (4), are all doing soooo well! Alejandra went to girls camp this week, so that was pretty stressful making sure she got off and felt comfortable and all was well! SHE LOVED IT! And Lizbeth PASSED her interview and will be baptized next Sunday!!!!!! And we are working with Alejandra every night this week to get her ready for her interview on Thursday so she can be baptized with her mom! Man, they are my favorite, you would LOVE them!  They have changed so much just since I’ve been here and have been so patient with me and Elder Jackson. But we are really close with them and they are definitely a family we were supposed to be with. So it’s crunch time this week to get them through!!!

Things are looking so good in our area and we have so many people we are working with and others coming up on there dates but the other family we were working with is hitting some little speed bumps and are kinda having some doubts. But they will be ok! Especially the mom (Aurora) who is really old and very, very sick. She wants to be baptized soo bad, but is just super sick, like almost on her last weeks and she won’t go to the hospital, so we are teaching her as fast as we can and trying to see what we can do for her because she just tells us that she knows she’s gonna go and she knows that baptism is what the Lord wants her to do before she goes back to see Him. We are really worried about her but she is the sweetest old lady and I really hope that she will be able to get better and be able to be baptized. She just cries the whole time we are there and is so sick and so sad and just wants to do what her Heavenly Father wants from her. I hope you will all keep her in your prayers because she really needs them. But what comfort it gives to know that no matter what happens she will accept the gospel someday soon, and that all will be ok. The Lord will make it all up in the end.

Being a missionary I have really seen the way the gospel effects people. The blessings it brings and really the comfort and happiness. But even more, I’ve seen the emptiness of those that don’t have it and really just how many of our brothers and sisters come into this world and leave it without ever having that empty spot filled. Without ever knowing. And just the pain of really not ever finding what brings us true joy. And I can’t wait to see the gospel fill the empty spaces of these people. And really to change their nature, and put a smile on their face. I know that only through the gospel of Jesus Christ and through his church, can we ever fill that whole. And I know with all my heart that, that is the very reason I’m here. I LOVE being a missionary and being able to see these people change their lives.. I LOVE these people and I know that I was supposed to be here at this time with these people. I love you all and pray that you have an awesome week.

Take care and until next week, 

Love

Elder Smith

I LOVE BROWNSVILLE!

FAMILY HELLO! 

Thank you for all your emails I loved them so much and the pictures! Mom and Nae look festive as ever (Nice hair moms). And I’m so glad Grandpa’s party went well, and that Dad hasn’t killed the dogs yet! Blake is looking great! And it was good to see the Ydes, tell them I say hi and that I love them!

Man, so I LOVE BROWNSVIlLE already! It is sooo pretty here! And I LOVE my area and members and everything about it! Our area is huge and packed with members! We are basically opening a new area because 3/4 of our area got white washed by Elder Jackson and his comp about 3 weeks ago and so we are completely new to it. It’s pretty cool because all the missionaries go to the English Ward together so we are just "some missionaries" in that ward. But me and Elder Jackson are the only Elders in our little Spanish Branch and it is SOOO SWEET! The building is an old doctor’s office, in the middle of our area and we are Rockstars there!  All the members love us and want to feed us and it is so much fun! In the branch there were 5 families, some from across the border, who got assigned to come to this branch and help get it started and it is making great strides. I love it too, because everyone knows and loves the missionaries! We prepare and bless the sacrament, we play the piano (Self player) and we translate too! (Funny story for the end of the email)  But I’ve already met all the members there, and am soo excited to work with them and they all have that new branch fire about missionary work. It’s called the Casa Linda Branch because it was started a few months ago in a casa (house).

So besides my awesome area I have an awesome comp too! I love him! Elder Jackson is from a small town east of Idaho Falls. He had a hard time last transfer with his other comp but man, we get along really well and are teaching together pretty well. We are so stoked about the work here and this new area and as well about our investigators. We are working with 2 families right now who are super solid. The Hernandez family (mom, Alejandra(15), Andrea (9)) And I love them! They all have bd’s (baptismal dates) and came to church and Alejandra is going to girls camp this next week. They will be baptized on the 17th. The only hard part is they are puro espanol and Andrea is deaf. So we are trying to teach her and learn sign language but she has a hard time with sign language so I just end up drawing pictures to teach her, which is really fun for me haha! But this family has a very special spot in my heart already. And as well we are working with another family that is huge! Only 2 of them made it to church because of sickness but they are doing great too. It was pretty cool to see all the members loving our investigators and just getting involved and it is just soo good!  I’m super excited for these families and we have a great week planned out to find some more great people.

So the funny story for the week is there is one white guy in the Spanish Branch who is from Germany, his wife is Spanish, but can’t really speak English at all! Weird I know. I guess they just speak the language of love. HAHA! So he has a THICK German accent and after I got introduced in front of the branch we started testimony meeting and he asked if I could translate for him. So in his thick German accent he starts talking about the war and bombs and all this stuff and I start cutting so many corners to translate to the branch. haha And it was pretty funny! For Example: Brother Lighthammer: "When I was in Germany they dropped bombs on us and gassed us out and the convoys charged in to take out the remaining survivors!!!!!"  Elder Smith’s translation: "I had a lot of hard times in Germany, with the war and all."  HAHA Very powerful testimony! But it was a good way for the branch to get to know me haha.

Well that’s all for today family! I better get going, but I hope you know I love you all and I hope everyone isn’t sending stuff to Laredo still haha! But if so I’m sure it’ll find its way to me! I Love you all and am so proud of you! You’re the best and thank you for your emails, letters, and pictures. Take care this week and be safe.

Until next week,

HERE GOES!

Hey family! 

Sounds like you all are doing so well! Sounds like you had an eventful weekend and I’m sorry you had to wait soo long to hear from me! Oh and Logan is looking like a stud! Man I’m soo excited for him, tell him I say hi and that I’m so proud of him!

So a crazy weekend here in Southern Texas. Lots of things going on. I know you all were excited to know what I was doing and where I was going and so here’s the news. I received a call that I was going to train, but my greenie had left the MTC, as well as two others right before they came and so it really put a wrench into transfers. So, I was informed I would not be training, but going to be senior companion. So here I sit in the library in Via Nueva Brownsville!*** I was so stoked when I heard the news because Brownsville I have heard is so sweet! And I’ve only been here about 4 hours, but I already LOVE IT! I have a car in my new area and i am the DD (designated driver) and I have a great companion. His name is Elder Jackson from some small town in Western Idaho! He is a big kid with a very big heart. I love him already. He is a little older than me in the mission and is such a humble kid, just ready to go and I am so excited to get working here. I told our ZL that the Lord knows great things will happen when he puts two Idahoans together, haha!

But these last few days have been soooo hard! Man I hate goodbyes! So very hard! Yesterday night I got invited over one more time by the Jimenez’s house just thinking we would go real quick to sign my book and they invited over Brother Pimentel and his whole family and our ward mission leader and his family and had pizza and chicken and beans and rice and sweet bread and they were ready to throw down this big party, haha! I was like AH! we have an appointment in like 45 minutes and they all just said, “Nope, your not going haha!” But luckily we were able to eat, laugh about the grandpa story (told by Brother Pimentel)  take pictures, cry, and give hugs and get out on time! It was soooo hard. I HATE GOODBYES! But it was good when it was over and the excitement of coming here helped me get over it haha! We also got to walk down through the trees to take pictures, as a district by the river and got stopped by border patrol! haha But they didn’t do anything. But we had a great and successful night and so we got to bed kinda late because the ZL’s had us come sleep in a different apartment and then we were up at 5 AM to head to Mcallen. Just a crazy weekend all around and I feel like I can’t even take a breath! haha But I love every second of it!

In this area they have a lot of great things going and they have an area that’s just ready to blow up. We are the only Elders that go to the Spanish Branch and he said no one plays the piano, so I better get practicing! We have 4 Elders in our apartments, one of which is Elder Hernandez, my MTC companion and so it will be good. I guess he has been struggling a little bit but I am so excited to be with them. But man I am just so excited I know I don’t have much to say I’m sorry but I will have tons to tell you next Monday! We have to head out to teach a lesson with this 9 year old girl who only speaks Spanish and is almost completely deaf so it will be interesting. But I love my area it’s all Spanish, pretty much and it’s super humid, but very tropical and beautiful!

Well family, that’s all the details I can come up with for right now. I love you all so much! I’m so proud of all of you! Chan, I’m proud of you! Keep it up and enjoy yourself. Alex and Addi, I love you and finish out strong with school, so you can enjoy the summer! Mom, good luck with graduation and Dad you’re the best and I love you! Don’t spoil Bart too much! I am so blessed to be here and to serve my Savior and these people! Wish me luck and please pray for these people. I know I will see miracles here. I’m just so happy to be here :)

Until next week, Love Elder Smith

P.S. Mom I’m sooo sorry I dropped so much money at Ross I bought a jersey because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get one anywhere else for that cheap! I’m sorry! And as well, I laughed way loud about Grandpa’s joke! SOO LOUD! I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH! TAKE CARE!

GOAT MEAT AND DRUNKEN BEANS

Hello Family! 

Loved your emails and all the pictures! Looks like Addi loved her dance recital and I’m sure she did so well! And I was proud to see that Texas flag flying, even though sometimes I think the Mexican flag would be more appropriate haha! But I’m glad all is well and thank you for all your emails!

So a pretty crazy week this week! I know you’re all probably interested in knowing where I’m going....and so am I! Haha I still haven’t received a call and instead Elder Pallo got a call, and he is training! So I know for sure I am leaving Laredo, which is tearing me up.  And the Zone Leaders and A.P.’s all know what I’m going to be doing but aren’t allowed to tell me because President wants to tell me on Wednesday when we go back down for training. So, they all give me a hard time and it’s making me anxious to know, haha! Everyone knows what they are doing that was at the training, but me haha! But we will see what’s going on this Wednesday and then I’ll be off next Tuesday. So, you will all have to wait until then to know haha!

But I’ve been having a super hard time the last 2 days, since I found out I’m leaving. I just feel like my time here is being cut short, so we’ve just been going like crazy to visit everyone and find new people, so that things are looking great for Elder Pallo and his greenie. I’ve started to tell people that I’m going because before you leave everyone wants you over for dinner, so it will be really good to get to say goodbye to everyone this last week. Yesterday I told the Jimenez family, which is like one of my favorite member families, and so they invited us over for goat meat and drunken beans, which was super good. haha But we had a cry fest because half of them are going out of town and it was the last time I could see them. I actually had a really hard time, but I know that’s what it’s gonna be like my whole mission - tough goodbyes every transfer. I know that they wanna be in contact with you, Mom and Dad, once I leave and the daughter speaks English so they can communicate with ya!

But besides all the leaving stuff, things have been great! We found a super bomb kid last Monday night named Jose who moved here from Honduras and he is just on fire. He is already keeping like all the commandments and came to church yesterday and then stayed for some baptisms and he is just doing great! Super sad I won’t be here to see him baptized, but I really feel like he was someone I was supposed to find here. And as well, Brother Pimentel is still waiting for the O.K. from Salt Lake so he can be baptized so I’m selfishly praying that they come this week because I really wanna be here for it haha! But I know he was definitely one of the big reasons I was supposed to be here as well and I’m so excited for them. And Brother Mercado is doing great and I’m sure his wife and daughter will be baptized within the next few months.

There’s just so many great things going on and so many great people that i just wanna STAY! haha But I know the Lord needs me somewhere else. I’ve been the most blessed missionary in the world to have been able to serve here in Laredo. I feel like I found the few who were waiting for me here and I just have a special place in my heart for Rio Bravo Laredo.

I love you all very much and I am grateful for your love and prayers! You’re the best! And I’m so grateful to be here and I just thank my Father in Heaven everyday for this.

Take care and I’ll talk to you soon! Until next week-

Les quiero,

Elder Smith