Spring in South America

So this week we supposedly started "spring" here in Perú. The funny thing is that I think it has been the COLDEST week of my whole mission haha. We've been fine, but I've just had to proselyte and sleep with many sweaters and jackets on. And I'm pretty sure that this weather isn't even that cold in general compared to Seattle. It's been around 18-22 degrees celsius here.

This week has been normal as far as proselyting goes. We had a work visit with the zone leaders that went pretty well. It was funny though because last week Daniel Bastian wrote in his letter that he did a work visit that took him to a different country...like he went in an airplane and everything to work with the missionaries. And here in Barranca we just cross the street to do a work visit with the zone leaders hahaha.

My companion and I are teaching Fernando, who's a referral from a member called Joel. He's a man that's gone through some difficulties in his life but wants to turn things around now, and we've taught a couple lessons with Joel and his wife. I don't think I've been in a lesson where the members' testimonies have been so vital and therefore powerful as in these lessons. As we taught the word of wisdom, Joel and his wife each shared various experiences and testimonies on how they've overcome and been blessed by living the commandments, and it's so much stronger for Fernando when it comes from his friends. He is excited to keep on progressing and be baptized in October. This is a strong testimony to me that members are key in the conversion of the investigators!

Thanks for all your prayers! I'll keep on praying for all of you. Hope you have an excellent week!

Elder Evan Smith

Visit from Elder Oaks

This week was awesome! We had the visit from an Apostle...Elder Oaks! Some other general authorities came with him too. It was a really spiritually enriching meeting, as you might guess. I learned a lot about repentance, the Atonement and how to use the Book of Mormon. These really are principles to teach in the mission and to use for a lifetime. I testify that the general authorities are really called of God.

On Sunday, we went back to an old appointment we had last Monday, and we didn't find the person we were looking for, but we found and taught his brother Luis. He's a man that has his regular work routine, and spends the weekends with his family that live in Barranca, but he has felt like something is lacking in his life. We talked about the Restoration, and he was really interested in how to know which of all the churches is true. After focusing on the doctrine of Christ and inviting him to be baptized, he said, "You know I've been thinking about a lot of things in my life and what I need is religion. I really should get baptized." He already knows a few members that are his neighbors and is excited to go to church with them next week. This is yet another testimony for me that the Lord prepares people all around us to teach.

Love you all a million. Have a super excellent week!

Elder Evan Smith

Great Teaching Experience

This week we're all excited for the visit of Elder oaks to our mission! It's such an anxious experience having an apostle come to speak to us,

This last week has been great! Yesterday night was really special, apart from the lessons we had we had a great experience to finish off the day.

The last contact of the day was when we were on our way to the room. I saw a family coming our way on the other side of the road and we went without thinking twice. The dad turned out to be the guy who printed our photos off last p-day and was excited to see us again. His wife was really interested in having us visit them too. Literally seems like a golden family!!

have a great week! love you all!!!

Elder Evan Smith

Pascuala, a New Investigator

This week we were blessed with the visit of Elder Gonzales and his wife. He's a member of the Seventy. President and Sister Stauffer took the opportunity to share some things with us as well, and it turned out to be a really spiritually edifying meeting. We focused on the Doctrine of Christ, and how to teach it in such a way that we don't get "in the way" of the Spirit.

One experience we had was with a new investigator we found on Saturday morning. Pascuala was a woman we contacted on the street while she was talking to a member we already knew. When we went to visit her we were a little apprehensive because she'd told us how "catholic" she was. She's an older person as well and usually people of that age are harder to teach because of their traditions. However, as we taught Pascuala she was really open to us because her member friend has been a really good influence to her in the last few weeks. When we talked about repentance and baptism, at first she didn't think it was necessary to get baptized again, but when we used the scriptures and asked her questions to let her act for herself, she said "You know, I think it really would be necessary to get baptized again if what you're saying is true. How do I know for myself?" Our eyes got wide as we saw how the lesson turned around. The Spirit really is the senior companion, and when we get out of His way we are able to help the Lord's chosen find His gospel again.

Thanks for being so supportive to me! Love you all so much! Have a great week.

Elder Evan Smith

Teaching Cristian

This week flew by so fast. It was so full of great experiences. You might remember about the investigator, Cristian, that I explained how we found last week. Well, this week we had a really special experience with him. When we went back to teach him last week he came to the door telling us he doesn't like pressure and that this would be the last lesson if we really wanted to continue teaching. Of course we went right into the lesson with a lot of faith.

We started off reading the Book of Mormon with him because he still hadn't read it. We were going paragraph by paragraph in the introduction and explaining as we went when he stopped in the middle and said how much he liked the Book of Mormon. He hadn't realized the history of the book before and he was really interested in the fact that Jesus Christ visited the Americas.

Near the end of the lesson he actually said to us that he noted a real change in attitude in himself and he excused himself for being a little harsh at first. He said that in fact he wanted us to stop by every other day if possible. This was such a testimony builder for me that there REALLY IS power in the Book of Mormon. It is such a blessing to see the changes in other people as they come closer to Christ.

Another experience we had this week started before church yesterday. As we were getting to church a little late (picking up investigators and sadly coming empty handed), we said hi to a guy that looked new to me. He introduced himself as a member from another stake about 2 hours away. He came literally just to find the missionaries and take them to the house of his sister and her husband. He'd been looking for the missionaries on the streets with no luck the previous visits he made and so this time he looked online to find the church building and find us. This is such a rare experience for us so I was pleasantly surprised.

We went by in the evening to visit the family with this good brother present in the lesson. Right off the lesson went really well. We could feel their friendliness and we could tell they were receptive and ready to hear our message. It's interesting how you can just tell when people are more prepared than others. When we talked about the Book of Mormon the sister said that she'd read a little because her brother gave her a copy a few months ago. There's a part in the introduction that says when you receive a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, you'll know that the Church is true, and she felt like that statement was true. She couldn't really explain why, but to her it was just logical.

Many people from different religions had been inviting them to go to their churches over the years because of the many trials they'd been facing, but they never went because of different reasons. When we invited them to come to church and when we invited them to get baptized, both the sister and her husband were nodding and saying that they really want to commit. They feel a great need to come closer to Christ.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! 

I know that this Church is true! I know that the Savior lives and that God knows every single one of us and our needs. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

Have a super duper week!

Elder Evan Smith

Interviews with Mission President

So today we had interviews with President. This involved a "zone inventory" in the morning, in which President trained us on a few principles, then we had our interviews, then a companionship training with the assistants about our area book and things like that. It was really great! We've got a lot a new things to apply in our areas to work more integrated with the ward members and find new people to teach. One of the biggest takeaways from today is that our mission president really is dedicated to us and to the work. We feel lots of love from him and his wife.

This week was also full of great experiences as well. It was a little difficult of a weekend for the work, and we were both exhausted and wondering what more we could do to find someone to teach. Sunday night at 7:30 we found ourselves sitting on a curb going over our agendas. My companion said he didn't know what to do, and I was trying to encourage him, but inside I also asked myself if I really knew what I was doing. I decided to let our stresses off to one side for a moment. We only had a little more than an hour to proselyte, and there weren't any appointments. I thought we should visit a certain less active member that the ward council asked us to visit. We said a prayer to confirm what we were to do and afterwards I just felt like we needed to move our feet.

Our plan to visit the less active didn't work out. We felt prompted to visit someone we had an appointment with earlier in the day but the appointment fell through. Once we got there and knocked on the door of the building, the guy who lives closest to the main door answered as usual. It was kind of like an apartment building, but private, like there's a front door you have to go through to get upstairs to the other apartments. The person we were looking for wasn't home yet but we contacted the man who answered the door. He said he was busy working on his thesis, but after a minute he said he needed a break anyways, so he let us in to hear us out.

He said he'd heard from the missionaries over 5 years ago but he felt like they were rushing him so he stopped investigating. It was interesting his case because he said he didn't want to get baptized and go back to his old habits, so he figured he was better off not getting baptized. I simply asked him that wouldn't he be worse off knowing that what he's doing is wrong and not following God? He said "you know, you've got a point." He was really attentive the whole lesson and said he really wanted to investigate for himself and receive an answer. Honestly the Spirit was really strong and we could tell that this guy was being prepared by the Lord.

What I've learned from this experience is that the Lord is at the helm, and we have to be willing to submit ourselves to Him. Perhaps I have a little more experience in the mission, but when I get to a point that I think I know what I'm doing and I can do it by myself, that's where pride comes right in. I am humbled to be a representative of Jesus Christ as a full-time missionary. I know that as baptized members of His Church we have also covenanted to take upon His name at all times and in all places. True missionaries don't just wear a nametag on their shirt, they wear it on their heart.

I love you guys so much! Hope you all have an excellent week!

Elder Evan Smith

Birthday Party!

Hello family!

This week has been spectacular! On my birthday we had the peruvian ritual birthday party in the evening which involves singing happy birthday in both english and spanish, and the infamous "mordidita". Well, at least it wasn't as bad as last year but I still ended up with cake all over my face haha. I love this ward so much. Even though I only have a couple of weeks here they're very caring towards the missionaries.

There's a member in our ward who is a newspaper editor, and years ago ran for mayor, and basically knows everyone in the entire Barranca province. He's a super active member also. He's been ward mission leader like 3 times I think. But we all take turns in the zone going out to proselyte with him and he talks to everyone he knows by name (which is practically everyone haha) and a lot of them are really accepting to us. We've already found a few new investigators thanks to this good member. It's such a help for the work to have a member connection with the investigators because they feel more natural and open to express their opinions. I hope you guys have chances to go out with the missionaries or teach lessons with them soon because it is such a great experience and such a help!

Yesterday there was a big broadcast for all the stakes in Perú and Bolivia in which a few area authorities and general authorities participated. I don't have much time to explain it all but it was an awesome broadcast and afterwards we had a big baptismal service with the whole zone!

Thanks for all your letters and all your love. Sending it right back at you!

¡ARRIBA  PERÚ !!!

Elder Evan Smith