Interviews with Mission President

This week we had interviews with our mission president, and it was super helpful for us to improve with our investigators. We learned the importance of teaching things the way they really are, when it comes to investigators that are just kind of there in between making a commitment and not.

We really have the truth, and baptism is literally the door to entering the path to the celestial kingdom, and the investigators have to really understand that. There's no reason to try and extend commitments in a comfortable or persuasive way, just follow the Spirit.

Have a great week everyone! Love you all tons

Elder Evan Smith

Mothers Day on Skype

There's not a whole lot that's changed between last night and today, but I just want to say I love you guys. I love what Dad shared with me about listening to the Spirit. As a missionary we are always asking the Lord to help us find families. But that doesn't have sentido if we don't act on the impressions we receive. It's also true what Mom said that everyone is different and has their own situations in life, but the Gospel is for everyone, and everyone can be healed by Christ's Atonement.

I love you all. It was nice to see everyone yesterday. I hope you had a great day Mom. Thank you for all your support, advice, counsel, and prayers. Have a good week!

With love,
Elder Evan Smith

An Answer to Prayer to Find an Investigator

This week we had a really spiritual experience last Monday evening. My companion and I were doing one of our maneras para encontrar (contacting approaches) at 7 and we had a couple citas (appointments) at 8, but no one we talked to wanted to hear more, and our citas cayeron (appointments fell through). So at 8:30 we were knocking on doors without much luck, when I said to my companion, well we're here for a reason. We wouldn't be walking around for an hour and a half for nothing, there's got to be someone who needs us. So we said a short prayer and waited a moment. We crossed the street to knock on a door and a man was walking by. We contacted him and he was pretty receptive. We asked him how his day was going and he started to get a little emotional and said he's going through a rough time with his wife, and their on the road to divorce. He has a little 1 year old son too that he doesn't want to lose. We talked about eternal families and asked if he'd like to hear more. He led us to his house and we shared the Restoration and the Family Proclamation and he said he felt really good and wants us to teach his wife too. Like our mission president says, la obra misional es espiritual (missionary work is spiritual), and the power of prayer is real!

This week I've been studying from Alma 5 a little and there's a part I really like.

6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?

Alma is talking to us too, about our ancestors that were pioneers, that gave up everything to follow the prophet and establish the Church. And because of them, today I'm on a mission in another country bringing the gospel to more of God's children.

Estoy tan agradecido por ser un misionero. Estoy aprendiendo muchas cosas que sé que van a ayudarme por el resto de mi vida. Más de todo, estoy ayudando otras personas a hacer lo mismo por sus propias vidas. Tengo un testimonio del Espíritu Santo, que Él es el maestro, y solo soy uno de los instrumentos. A veces tenemos dificultades y pruebas, pero sé que es para que aprendamos a través de oposición. Sé que Dios nos da debilidades para que tengamos humildad y cuando mostramos a Dios este humildad, vamos a fortalecer nuestras debilidades a fortalezas. Gracias por todo su apoyo y oraciones.

First Week in Paramonga with Elder Mora

View from our apartment

Well, week 1 in my new area is over. My new companion is Elder Mora. He's from Colombia. He's super awesome! Right off the bat we got to work and it's really fun working with him. So far with him I've learned how to work hard and have fun too.

It's way different than back in Mi Perú. Mi Perú is basically built on a hill, so it was a lot of uphill and downhill. Paramonga is totally flat. I think I might have 2 little hills in one spot, but that's like nothing. It's also a lot colder. In Mi Perú I was dying in short sleeves, but here I actually pulled out my sweaters and have to use them once the sun goes down. We live in an apartment building, and I really like our room a lot. Our pensionista lives just across the street, and they actually run a restaurant that's open in the evenings, but that's where we eat lunch every day. It's a lot of the same foods, but some new ones too. I ate guinea pig for my first time, and it's pretty good. Tastes like chicken, as Dad might say!

Paramonga is a ward, and just recently too. Before it was 2 branches, but in January they put them both together. There's another compañerismo in the ward, so Paramonga is split in halves.

There's some interesting history behind the city of Paramonga. You can probably find most of it online or something. There's a lot of older couples here, but a lot of families too. We have a couple investigators progresando for baptism in the coming weeks, and just this past week we found a couple families that we're pretty excited about.

Something I've learned this week is the power of being steadfast. That's really the key to living the Gospel, doing it with constancia. This week I was studying about humility in King Benjamin's lesson to the people in Mosiah chapter 4:

11 ...humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. 

12 ...And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins...

I thought about how that connects to the tree of life in Lehi's dream, and how sweet the fruit was that he tasted, and how that's the love of God feels when we receive a remission of our sins. And by being steadfast in humility, and praying too, among other things, we can feel that love of God more frequently.

I really testify of that. As things go in the missionary life, sometimes we are running late and have to get out the door to a meeting on time. But before I hadn't realized as I do now, that I never seem to forget to eat breakfast or get dressed for the day, and so should be the same with praying. It should be something that we always do. I'm super grateful to have learned this from my companion.

Have a great week! Love you all.

Elder Evan Smith

First Transfer! Baptism!

Paramonga is about 200 km (125 mi) North of Lima

Another change has gone by, and I'm going (from Mi Perü) up north out of Lima (to Paramonga)! I have no idea what to expect, but I'll have more on that next week.

Ultimo Bautismo en Mi Perú

This last weekend we baptized an hermana in a part-member family. We reactived her mom who was baptized way back when. We have several other people progressing for the coming weeks, but sadly I won't see them.

This week my companion and I were doing a little bit of street contacting, and we met a guy working as security for the municipalidad, and his name was Hitler! We didn't believe him, but he showed us his ID card. Hitler Chavez. He said he's not sure what his parents were thinking.

This week we taught one of our investigators about the commandments, and about the word of wisdom, he asked us, so why is coffee so bad? I explained to him that there are various reasons why doctors say it may or may not be healthy for us, but more than anything it's a commandment from God. And if God tells you to do something, you'd do it, right? And he said, well, when you say it that way, of course! He's also looking for a job and asked about if working on Sunday is okay, and I explained pretty much the same about how keeping the Sabbath day holy is a commandment.

The (double-walled metal) water bottle I got from Catherine (my early Christmas present last year) is the BEST. It's probably the most coveted item in my district. (haha!) But it seriously, it is the best when I'm up in the sand-covered hills, sweating bullets, and I can reach into my handy bag and drink ice cold water that I put in the bottle hours earlier.

This week I complete 6 months! Wow time does fly by, but so much happens in such a short time. Sounds like things are going well at home. Have a great week! Love you all.

Nuestro distrito

New Investigators

It's been a great week for our area this week. We found various new investigators that accepted invitations to read the Book of Mormon and be baptized. We just have to keep up with their progress in the coming weeks.

Yesterday was election day in all of Perú. Voting here is obligatory, the government fines you if you don't vote! So all the businesses close up Saturday night, and all day Sunday people line up at the schools to vote. It was crazy during the afternoon, but we were still able to go visit people throughout the day.

We had a super awesome lesson on Saturday with our converso reciente, Jose Salas, and he has always had lots of questions about doctrine. They're really good questions but a lot of the time I just don't know how to answer very efficiently to not make him have even more questions. But this time we brought our branch mission leader and a menos activo that has a lot of life experience, and a really good testimony of the Book of Mormon. Anyways, these two members directed the lesson really well, and their testimonies are really what helped Jose feel the Spirit strong and encourage him to overcome his challenges right now. It was probably the best lesson I've had in my whole mission. Whenever you guys get the chance, go out and teach with the missionaries!

I love hearing from you guys. Love you all. (I'll try to send some pictures next week.)

Elder Evan Smith

Gringos Jumped for Joy

General Conference was great! The whole stake was invited to view all the sessions there on the projector screen there. All the gringos in our zone were able to view it in a side room in English, which was really cool. I'm not sure how the congregation reacted when the new temple was announced but our room of gringos literally jumped for joy, fists pumping and all. We still don't know exactly where the temple will be, but we're certain it's in our mission.

I really liked the talks in conference. Elder Holland's message was just what I needed to hear too. I really liked President Uchtdorf's message about the city that was completely destroyed and rebuilt by human beings. Even the cathedral was rebuilt to be a marvelous place of worship. So then, if we as normal people can do that, why can't God, being all-powerful, help us when we are lost? Not that I'm lost or anything, I just really liked the analogy.

Other than conference, it's been a bit of a slower week for me, we had to go into Lima to the mission offices a couple times for meetings, I finally got my ingrown toenail fixed, and then I got sick. But nothing that a few saltines and 7-up couldn't fix. I'm ready to go for this week!

I'm so grateful for the huge blessing we have to hear from the prophet and apostles. I know that God knows our real intent, and it's okay if everything doesn't work out perfect. I'm so grateful to have a family that backs me up and is there for me. I love you all.

Elder Evan Smith