Fiesta, Rediscovering an Investigator

Oldest active member of the ward

This is a photo of the husband of our pensionista. He is the man! I think he's the oldest active member in the ward.

This week was off to a slower start for us. It was hard to have lessons with our investigators and find new ones to teach. As the weekend got closer, it got more challenging in a different kind of way. It was the annual fiesta of the "virgen de las mercedes" last saturday, so there was a lot of... commotion, to put it all in one word. Anyways, we thought a lot about how we could take advantage of other ways to find. We realized we had left aside, and we found an old investigator that had a lot of free time that wanted to listen to us, and the grandparents of a young adult recent convert.

our convert in church on sunday!

I have been studying Alma's counsel to his sons, and as I was reading in Alma 37 when Alma is giving the plates to Helaman and he commands him to keep the records, but also to maintain the brightness of the plates. I thought for a little bit, and thought that this is like a strange commandment, but it probably has an unseen purpose to it. Alma in the next verses says these same principles, that even though it may sound strange, that the Lord works in small and simple ways to bring about grand purposes. A footnote to that brought me to the scripture I am ponderizing this week.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." --1 Corinthians 2:14

I know that Thomas S Monson is a living prophet of God. I know that Joseph Smith was called to be the prophet of the restoration in the Sacred Grove in 1820. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

Have a great week!! Love you all.

la zona barranca despues de futbol

Baptism and a Miracle

Luis Huerta was baptized this week

This week we had a visit from Elder Hugo Montoya, of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy. It was a great opportunity to learn from him and the Spirit, and we all really enjoyed it. Something I liked that he shared was that the mission is something that is supposed to change us for the rest of our lives because this work really is the most important work to do!

So Luis Huerta got baptized this week. I'm not sure if I have already shared his story, but when we found him a month and a half ago, he had problems walking. He wasn't sure what the problem was but it was getting worse, until it was time to go to the hospital. It turned out that he needed surgery in his lower spinal column. The surgery was miraculously a success, and even though the doctors said it would be some time before he could walk, that very day he was able to get up and start walking a little.

In the weeks since, he has been able to walk with a limp and he has to soak his leg every day. He has been excited for his baptism because he had the faith that his pain would go away, and we promised him that that would be true. Coming out of the baptismal font he told me he didn't feel any pain. The rest of the evening he was walking around without limping! It was truly a miracle.

I testify of the power of the Priesthood. This is Jesus Christ's Church with His authority. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be one of His missionaries. I love all of you! I hope everyone is doing well. Have a great week!

Elder Evan Smith

Breaking out of the Old Ways, Teaching With Members and the Spirit

Our district after playing soccer today,
eating lunch in our pensionista's house

In the last 10 days, we have taught various older couple catholics that are so attached to their traditions and customs that like to listen to other churches but could never make a commitment to be baptized and they never seem to get past this point.

Having experienced this, Sunday night we had a noche de hogar with a family that was reactivated last year and their nonmember mom, who is, that's right, catholic by tradition also. What was way different was that when we got to the point of extending the commitment, she gave the normal catholic excuses, and her son in law began to explain the importance of baptism by immersion and by the authority of God. Then her daughter bore her testimony about all this too. Then she accepted a baptismal date and everything. Wow. I testify of the importance of working with members as well as teaching with them. The work is so much easier when we work together!

This week Luis Huerta is getting baptized! He is doing really well. On Sunday the elder's quorum president forgot that he wasn't a member yet haha. We have been working with his wife constantly for 3 weeks in a row just on keeping the sabbath day holy and she has had something come up every week that has made it hard for her testimony to grow of the sabbath day. Finally we talked with them about Luis getting baptized first until his wife is ready, and that was hard, but he really is ready and she isn't yet, and won't be for a while. Anyways it is exciting for the ward, because between the 2 companionships in the ward a lot of new investigators are starting to come and they like the growth!

I testify of the power of the Holy Ghost. It is so important to have the Lord's guidance in His work, and in our day-to-day lives as well. It is such a blessing to be able to be one of His missionaries. It is only by His Spirit that people can really be converted, and I testify that when we work under His influence that conversion takes place.

Love you all! Until next week...

Elder Evan Smith

Hermano Guzman

This week I had a work visit with our district leader who is also a gringo, which is always awesome because the peruanos are just blown away that there are TWO gringos together. We were visiting a couple appointments planned for the afternoon and I remember vaguely a house we had contacted a couple weeks ago and so we knocked on the door. An older man came to the door and cheerfully greeted us and asked who we were looking for.

I quickly glanced at the plaque above the door with the house number and family name and said we were looking for Hno. Guzman. He got all excited and said "well then here I am! come on in, since you're looking for me!" He likes to build stuff in his spare time and had welded from scraps really cool lawn chairs that were super comfortable.

Anyways he called out his wife and we shared the Restoration with them and they were really receptive and willing to read the Book of Mormon and ask God if it's true and come to church and get baptized if they receive their answer.

The familia Huertas didn't all come to church again this week. The wife went on an emergency trip to Ancash. So they won't get baptized this week but we have a lesson with them tonight to see how we're going to move forward.

The work keeps moving on!

I loves you guys a ton. I know that everything we teach is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and is the word of God. I know that it contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love you all! Have a great week.

Elder Evan Smith

New Companion in Paramonga

This week we had transfers. I am still in Paramonga but my new companion is Elder Castro, from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He is awesome. It has been a great week for us. We had several great lessons that brought our investigators to progress.

We have been working with an older couple, Luis y Maria Huerta. They had been progressing to get baptized this Saturday, September 3, and in our lesson last Saturday night my companion said, "now just so you guys know, because we are in the last week before your baptism, you're going to feel more temptations and trials to try to hold you back". They were all good to go...until Sunday when Maria didn't show up to church. Turns out late Saturday night her brother called her asking a favor to help him plant sweet potatoes out in his farm and feed the pigs. Apparently, he only has time on Sundays, and normally helps them out so she felt obligated to go. Regardless, they aren't going to get baptized this week and we are looking forward to next week.

Testifico que el Presidente Thomas S Monson es el Profeta viviente que dirige esta iglesia. Yo sé que el Libro de Mormón es la palabra que Dios y que, igual que dijo el Profeta José Smith, que un hombre se acercaría mas a Dios al seguir sus preceptos que los de cualquier otro libro. Sé que Jesucristo vive y es nuestro Salvador. Amo a Él y me esfuerzo cada día seguirle más.

Les amo a cada uno bastante.

I am working on my plan that Sister Smith sent. I have a big list of the things I have to do as a missionary, but I'm still working on my spiritual goals.

For my birthday, I got myself a quad set of Spanish scriptures - new for here in Perú 😎.

Elder Evan Smith

New scriptures in Spanish for my birthday

Cambios, Working in Another Area

Well today is cambios, but I still don't know who will be my new companion. Elder Estrada finished his mission this week. Everything is going great though! This week I have been in a different area the majority of the time with another elder whose companion went home too. We've been working pretty hard this week and we've had a few miracles in this area being able to find new investigators and set baptismal dates with them, and when I was in my area for the weekend, it was a miracle that we could have our investigators come to church that hadn't been able to attend for the last couple weeks due to an injury, and having not been able to teach them much this week.

This morning I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Alma 13:8-9. I really like this scripture:

Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end—Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen.

I felt like this applied to me, that my calling, ordination, and priesthood is holy too. That I really am an elder forever, because it comes after the order of the Son. I feel more responsability, but I feel peace from the Spirit too. I testify of the power of the priesthood, that it is real, and that it comes from the Lord. I testify of the principles of faith, that we need to live the principles of the Gospel in all times and in all places and trust that God will take care of us too.

I love you all a ton!

Elder Evan Smith

Peruvian Birthday Celebration, BBQ "Service" Project

It was a Happy Birthday indeed!

It has been an awesome week. I got some sweet new ties for my birthday, ate german pancakes, peach cobbler (microwave edition), and had a surprise party in the church in the evening. Boy what a surprise. I walked into a room with a blindfold and left covered in eggs and flour and glitter. But my companion reassures me this is how peruanos celebrate birthdays and the ward really does love me.

We also did the funnest service project ever for a family of investigators. They sell barbeque food at the market and they had a huge order to fill and asked us to help, so I helped prep the spicy sauce and grill the chicken and pork. The nice thing is that when you do service helping at a barbeque, you get free barbeque too.

My companion and I also decided to start English classes in the church on saturdays, and the first week wasnt so good attendance wise, but last week we had a decent turnout and I taught how to pray in English, and we learned how to sing "Jesus Said Love Everyone".

I am really enjoying my mission and I love serving others. I testify that this is the true gospel, and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. It is by His Atonement we can be saved.

I love you all. Have a great week.

Elder Evan Smith