Hey Mom! It's finally p-day again! so much has happened!
First off, my companion and i were called to be Zone leaders! how crazy is that? We've only been here 2 weeks! We get sustained Sunday, so don't tell anyone hahaha
Anyway, I'm just doin my laundry right now, so I've only got about 15 minutes until I've gotta switch it over.
Anyway, I got called up to the travel office yesterday, and that usually means visas. So my entire district was freaking out, and some of the sisters were about to cry. I got to the travel office, and it was crazy! I never thought that I wouldn't want to leave! I love my district, and my companion. It would stink to have to leave him. Oh yeah, my visa didn't come, I just had to re-take a picture. But yeah, it was funny. Tell me everything at home! What's going on, who's doing what?(The following letter is to Sam's friends)
Dear friends,
The MTC is amazing. When I thought about my mission, I never thought about being here, I just thought about being out in the field. But this is truly an amazing place. I was just called to be a Zone Leader, and I've never been so humbled.
If I could describe it, it's kind of like EFY, but 1,000 times better. You feel the spirit so strongly here, every day, it wears you out terribly. You live in dorms, (I'm sharing with 5 other elders), and the rooms are even smaller in some cases. The hardest thing for me here is to not call everyone "Guys" or "bro". You call everyone Elder or Sister. No nicknames. It's difficult, but it makes you feel so much more respect for everyone. I have grown so much spiritually over the past few weeks. Our branch president asked us to restart the Book of Mormon. Not from First Nephi, but from the title page. I'm already in Alma 34. It's such an amazing experience. It feels so much more like a story, I'm so invested in the characters, and how it all ends.
I would encourage you guys to go on LDS.org and watch all of the Bible Videos before coming out here. They have brought me so much closer to My savior. I have prayed more in the past two weeks than I have my entire life. I know, like never before, that my Father in Heaven lives. He loves us. He wants us to be happy, and so he sent his son. I love my Savior. I know he lives. I have felt his presence right by my side throughout this entire experience, and I know that he'll be right by my side the rest of my life. I can't even begin to describe how I feel. As I have diligently read the scriptures, and prayed to my father in heaven constantly, I have felt his hand in my life so much more. I know that when we get to the point where we think we can't take any more, he will bear us up. My heart is full of the spirit, and I want nothing more than to take this light I feel to the entire world.
My teacher, Irma(sister) Pettita, is our new investigator. My companion, Elder Childs and I always teach great lessons. We prepared for hours, prayed diligently, and went in confidently. It was terrible. We didn't click, the investigator was disinterested, and the spirit wasn't there. I felt terrible. I was trying so hard to figure out what we did wrong, so I opened the Book of Mormon, to Alma. I realized that I was putting my trust in my abilities, not in the Lord. I failed to recognize that it is only by his power that I am able to teach. That was so humbling. I have prayed more these past two weeks than I have in my entire life. And I have come to know my Father in Heaven so well. I know how the spirit speaks to me, and it's amazing. It feels like I've only been living half of a life. I feel whole, and I feel powerful.
Know that the Savior has his hand in absolutely everything you do. Know that it is only through his grace and power that you are able to take every breath. The second that you fail to recognize that the Lord is the reason you've been able to accomplish something, the spirit vanishes. We are absolutely nothing. We are below the dust of the Earth. However, To God, we are everything.How amazing is that? The most powerful being in the universe, loves us beyond comprehension. We are his children.
Walking around campus, I can't help but feel that this is how the Heavens will feel. Walking down a hallway, and everyone you see is a worthy servant of God. Everyone smiles, says hello. Everyone helps each other, and no one brings each other down. There's no bad language, no hard feelings. Only the spirit. I love my companion. He is one of my best freinds.
We bear our testimonies to each other daily, we read together, we teach together, we cry together. I have never felt so close to anyone in my life.
The spirit is everything, Without it, being a missionary simply isn't possible. You must be worthy to have the spirit. You must have undying, unshakeable faith in our savior. And that faith has to be strong enough that you are willing to repent. I know that this gospel is true. I know that it is only be the spirit that we are able to effectively teach. I know my Savior lives. He is my brother, he is my best friend. I testify that when you are at the end of your rope, when you feel like you can't take any more, or when you feel like you don't have the strength to keep moving, he WILL bear you up. I have felt the saviors loving hand on my shoulder, I have heard his voice. I know he lives. I know he loves me, and I know that it is only through his love that I am able to do anything. It doesn't matter how your grades are here, it doesn't matter how strong you are, how smart you are, or how attractive you think you are here. All that matters is that you turn everything you have over to him. As I have given myself to the Lord, and have recognized his hand in all things, and have subdued my will to his, I have felt myself to be 100% devoted to his work. Everything I have, and everything I am is for him. I feel the spirit of the almighty God pulse through every fiber of my being. I feel so full of joy, of love, and of the spirit that I know without a doubt I can do anything the Lord would have me do. He is my savior, he is my redeemer, he is my friend.
Don't be afraid of the mission like I was. This is where we are all meant to be. I wouldn't trade these past few weeks for anything. I iss you guys (when I have time to miss things), and I'm so excited for you to have this amazing opportunity.
Pop pop captain
Elder Smith
