Rain & More Rain - 9/23/13

Why hello there family! How are yall? How's it going back in good ole Utah? From moms email it sounds like everything is going great! Man a nice long vacation to Europe sounds pretty nice! Yall better be taking me when I get back! Haha Just kiddin! That will be really fun! Take a lot of pictures for me. I am glad the soccer and tennis and singing stars are all doing great. I miss them a lot. I see a lot of little kids out here and they all remind me of my awesome little nieces and nephews. Keep up the good work! So I heard that BYU lost.. man that is a bummer. We have a couple of diehard fans out here and they all were very sad yesterday at church. All of those diehard fans keep my informed and posted on all of the sports going on back home! It is pretty nice! One thing that has been very weird is how I do not know anything at all about the sports world right now. It is weird! I went to Taco Bell the other day and they had a TV and it showed just a couple of sports and I had no clue about anything. I have no clue what is going on in the world. I have heard some things about Syria. But that is one nice thing about the Mission. You just focus on the people and the Lord. I really enjoy that.

Alright, so this week, as you can tell from the title of my letter, it rained nonstop! It started raining at 4 in the morning on Wednesday and didn't stop until Saturday night. So all of our plans on Thursday fell through because that is our service day and we mow a couple of lawns. Then on Saturday we were going to go back up and finish the shed, but it rained all day Friday and Saturday so that was cancelled. It was almost kind of dangerous to go out so we stayed in until the rain died down a little bit. I studied a lot during that time. We also played some games. Elder Andrews and I play Stratego. Let’s just say I am the boss at that game! It is fun. This week went by really slow though because we really could not do too much. We lost a couple of our investigators.. One kid we were teaching ended up moving across the river to start school. Then the other one that has received all of the lessons and has had missionaries over for about 2 years decided to drop us. He told us that he believes everything is true and he loves us coming over, but he said he does not want to change. That has been really tough. Everyone has their free agency though. We cannot force anything upon someone.


On a more positive note though, we mow a ladies lawn and she used to be a member. Something happened and she ended up leaving the church and having her name removed. Missionaries have been trying to get her to come back to church for like 5-10 years and she never would. This past Sunday and the Sunday before that she has came to church!! We have really seen a huge difference in her. Every time we go over there to mow her lawn she always feeds us. Before, she would never talk with us that much, but 2 weeks ago she asked if we could leave her with a prayer. Then this week we left her with a spiritual thought! She told a sister in our ward that she really likes coming back to church and that she loves us missionaries. That really made me feel good! So we are going to keep on giving her little spiritual thoughts and leaving her with prayers and who knows.. Maybe she will get baptized again! I really think she will. She is a great lady!


My companion and I have been getting along alright this week. He likes to mostly visit members and the less actives that he likes. I have been helping him by planning to visit other people who we don't visit as much.


So we have a new district leader. His name is Elder Stratford. He is a good kid. He is a good missionary too.. Elder Vaughn is the new Spanish Elder that is living with us in our apartment. He is a cool kid. He really likes to workout so that is one thing I love! We have been working out together. We run every morning and do P90X and Ab Ripper. I have lost about 5 pounds since I got here. I am getting ripped! ;) haha Just kidding. We still have been biking like crazy, but I am getting really used to it now. I really like where I am at. Algiers is pretty sweet! It is pretty much downtown Ogden. The people are very poor. I am getting more used to it. It has been pretty hot and Humid down here. We may be getting a tropical storm in a couple weeks. We will see. Elder Andrews and I kind of want one just so we can say we have lived in one! It would be cool.

My testimony has been growing so much. My studies are getting better and better. I am learning so much. I love the Book of Mormon. Whenever I am having a rough time and am homesick or someone just said something mean to us and I just feel like crap, I pull out the Book of Mormon and read. It always lifts me up. The Atonement is so real. I love it so much. I know my older brother is helping my through this time. The mission has been tough, but as tough as it has been nothing is more rewarding than when you start to see someone change. I am so thankful for this Gospel and all that it does. I am so thankful for all you back home. I have learned the importance of family out here. I am so thankful for the knowledge that we all will be together forever. I love you all so much!


Well I have to get off. Everyone here is waiting on me now. I am the only one that writes long letters home. So just know that I am doing great and I miss you all, but I am in a better place. I keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers. I love you all! Have a great week and have a great trip mom and dad! I love you!


Love Elder Smith


PS. If you get a chance will you send me my blue running shoes..they area Asics! Thanks! I love you!

I can fix anything! (5 flat tires) - 9/17/13

Hey Mom and Dad! And the rest of the family! How are y'all? From the sounds of it y'all sound great! I'm pretty jealous you all got to go to Florida and check out those sweet tennis camps. I'm glad the little tennis stars did so well! Hey you probably got to experience some of the heat I have had for awhile! It's pretty nice right?.... (not really) haha its been a super hot and extremely humid week. Oh well! I'm getting so used to it. It's nice. 

Alright so transfer calls came in yesterday and I am staying in Algiers!!! :) With my same companion training me. He will probably be gone next transfer. Elder Provost is getting transferred and probably going to become the zone leader for our zone. He was district leader, but now we don't know who it is going to be for a little bit. We should find out tomorrow. Elder Mellor is going home tomorrow. That is crazy to think. It has been pretty hard having a missionary in our apartment leave. It was a little tough for Elder Andrews and myself because we are just at the beginning. Oh well! He is excited! So since he is going home this week we have been fed so much... We had dinner appointments every night this week. And lunch 4 times. I have never ate so much food in my life. I have felt sick! haha We had hamburgers, lasagna, Gumbo, Crawfish atofay, lamb chops, chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, and so much other stuff. It was really good! I loved all of it!. Last night was tough though... I thought I was going to explode! It was really good!

Alright so this week we did a lot of service again. On Saturday we went up to Medory and had a training again. There is a play coming to LA and it is called the Book of Mormon Musical. It is made by the people that created south park. It says the F word like 20 times. It is a story about 2 missionaries and it is just bad. It really talks bad about the church. So we had a training on what to do with this situation. In a way it can be good, because it will open up teaching opportunities. That play is coming in October so we will see what happens. We are the first stop it is making and then it is going to continue to go throughout the US. Hey this is a chance to teach people the truth! I'm excited!. 

Alright so with my bike and all the flat tires. I have had about 5 flats already. It is not me going of jumps or anything the roads down here are just horrible! There are nails everywhere and really uneven spots. So that has kind of been a problem. On Sunday I was riding to church and it is about 5 miles away or so and I got a flat right outside our apartment... We had to call and get a ride. So lets just say I can fix anything on a bike now! haha It's been a good learning experience. Tell David I would let him ride my bike, but i want it in one piece when I get home! haha. That's good that Dayton did a good job on his farewell. He is such a good kid! I've looked up to him for awhile! I'm glad Riley did a good job too! Man it is crazy that everyone is leaving back home now! They are in for a big surprise! haha just kidding! I loved the MTC. It was really fun. 

 Alright so I have a story to tell y'all.. So this past Wednesday we were taking our lunch break and I had to go to the bathroom.. #1 everything was going fine then all of a sudden a sharp pain hit me. I thought I was passing a kidney stone. It was horrible. I could not move. I called sister Wall and told her all of my symptoms and she called the doctor. In the mean time I was laying on the couch because I could not move and drinking so much water. She called back and he thought I had a bladder infection. I was a little nervous because I could not move. So I took it easy for about an hour and then went again and everything was fine. It was so weird. I may have been a little dehydrated. So all is well with that. Nothing else has happened and I am doing great! I hope that doesn't happen again though! So that is my crazy story for the week. 

This week we went and checked on a lot of less active members. It was good to talk with them. We always leave people with commitments, but they sometimes don't do them. That is always tough. We just keep on being there for them. I haven't heard anything from the guy from Dick's Sporting good. Hopefully I will that would be awesome! I love how the Spirit gives all of us promptings. Sometimes it is hard to go through with those promptings because you are nervous or scarred to talk to the people. I haven't let that stop me though. It was cool my comp and I both had a prompting to go over to Bro Johnsons house. We didn't know why, but we did it anyways. When we arrived there was a less active member at his house and she wasn't doing good at all. She asked us to give her a blessing and we did. Heavenly Father had something special to say to her and she needed it at that time. I was so happy we listened to the prompting. She thanked us so much, but we told her it wasn't us at all. We have been giving a lot of blessings out here. I am really thankful for blessings. They truly do work. 

Well my testimony is growing so strong every day. Some days are really tough, but there are other days that are just the best! I have really been studying the Book of Mormon a lot and I am gaining a stronger testimony of the truthfulness of it. Us members of the church need to have a really strong testimony of Joseph Smith, because if he truly was the prophet, which he was, than therefore the Book of Mormon is true and everything else about the church is true. This Gospel is so amazing and it is the answer to all of our questions. The Atonement is the only way we can make it through this life. I love the Atonement. I love the people here in LA. A lot of them aren't receptive of the Gospel, but they see a difference in us members of the church and they like it. People do change and that is the greatest thing ever to see. We have a less active lady that we mow her lawn and she hasn't gone to church in over 15 years and we were able to get her to come this past week. It was so amazing. She loved it and she said she wants to keep coming back. That is what us missionaries are here to do. Love Serve Teach and Rescue. I love it here in Algiers! It has been hard, but I am enjoying the Journey. 

Well family I have go to wrap things up. I am headed to New Orleans again today to celebrate Elder Mellor going home! I hope everything back home is going well. All of you are in my prayers and thanks for all the prayers of support for me. I love you all so much! Dad I love you. Thanks for being the best dad in the world! I loved your letter you sent me. I will write you one this week and send it off. Mom I love you. You're the best mom in the world! Dad is right when he says I have the best mom in this dispensation! :) The rest of the family and friends I love you all! Keep up the good work! Remember that the church is true, the Book is blue, and I'll see y'all in 22 Months! haha :) Love you All!!!
Elder Nick Smith

PS. I went and printed off a bunch of pictures last week so I will send them off this week! :)
PSS.  Could you send me some cooking ideas of some simple snacks that are healthy!  I need to eat more healthy foods.  Maybe Jen can help me out with that!

 I think that's about it for now! Thanks so much! I love you! I'm doing great down here! I love you all! 

The Best Mission Ever (for me) - 9/9/13

Hello my wonderful family! How is everyone doing? I love all the emails and letters everyone sends me. It sounds like things are going good back home! That is really good to hear! Thanks for the package! We used the frog towels  on Saturday and they helped keep us cool! We ended up going back  to help finish building the shed. We still are not even close to being finished! I'll try to go to the store to get pictures, but it is so hard... We do not have that much time. I will go and do it this week though I promise!! :) 

This week I have been sooo busy.. It has been pretty crazy! So once we left the library on Tuesday I went back to our apartment and packed my bags.. I went on exchanges again this week, but with elder Provost this time. We were working super hard! We had so many appointments set up, but most of them fell through so we started tracting. As we were tracting we just started talking to so many people and we passed out so many pass along cards. Elder Provost is a great missionary. He really listens to the spirit and he is not afraid to talk to anyone. We both match up pretty well! 

So a cool experience.. Elder Provost and Elder Olsen had a recent baptism with a guy named ____. He was doing soo great and then they went over one night and he had been drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking a lot of cigarettes. They were so heart broken because he was doing so good and he was planning on going to the temple the next morning for baptisms. They were so sad so they helped him clean up and put him to bed. The next morning I was with Elder Provost so we went over and he had done the same thing... It was so sad because ____ says he tries so hard, but Satan always tempts him. We just read scriptures with him and watched mormon messages and we talked with him and he said he was going to stop and we committed him to live the word of wisdom from then on. The next day we went back over and the same thing had happened... he was drunk... It was a  big eye- opener to me because I have never really  been around that type of stuff so I didn't know the real effects of it. He was so sad and crying and praying that Heavenly Father would Help him. We comforted him and we read more scriptures and we just helped him know how much our Heavenly Father loves him. And then we left him with the commitment that whenever he had those thoughts to do those bad things, he would call us and we would come over and help him out. From that time on he has been doing so much better and he is going to be okay. So what I learned from all of this is that we as missionaries are here to help and rescue people from the evil things Satan wants us to do. So all of my nieces and nephews... LISTEN UP.... Whenever you are faced with a choice and someone wants you to try something you know is wrong, turn around and RUN! Make the choice now that you will never do those things. Alcohol and drugs ruin lives and families. It is so sad. But the most rewarding thing I saw out of this experience is the true power of the Atonement. The Atonement will help us with anything. We don't just use it  when we make a mistake, but it is the power to get us through the day. I have realized this out here. The Atonement is the most amazing thing ever!

Well after the exchange ended on Friday morning we had a Zone training meeting. We learned how important Preach My Gospel is and how it is scripture. We always need to study it because it will help us out so much! Then after Zone training we went to lunch at this place called Canes Chicken! It is the bomb dot com! It was so good! Then we went home and fixed my bike... Oh yeah. I had 2 flats Thursday night... that was no bueno. So when we went to get the tubes to fix the bike we went to Dick's Sporting Goods. It just barely opened on Wednesday and guess what I was able to do.... They have an indoor driving range... SO I hit a couple of golf balls! :) It was so nice to swing a club again! And as I was doing that I met a guy that works there named _____. He is an older guy and he loves to golf so i got talking with him and then he asked me why I was out here when I could be home playing golf. I told him my reasons and I told him about the Gospel and I bore my testimony to him. I gave him a card and he really appreciated it. He wanted to learn more so hopefully he will turn into a new investigator! That would be so cool!! Then on Saturday we got up early and went up to Medory to continue on the shed building... We finished the bottom floor and the upstairs flooring so now all we need to do is put up the 2nd story walls and the roof! It is really cool and I love to help these people out. I love to give service! It always makes me feel so much better about myself. It helps me not think about home. I have had a really good week! I have not been as homesick so that was a big bonus! 

Alright... Now I am to Sunday! We had the awesome opportunity to have President and Sister Wall come to our church and speak in sacrament meeting and then to have our interviews! They both gave great talks. President Wall talked about enjoying the journey of life. It is so true. We sometimes get so caught up in things when all we need to do is enjoy ourselves and our journey. He is such a great Mission President. Then in my interview we were just talking and I told him all of my worries and he made me a promise. He said he has never made this promise with anyone before. I told him about how I felt like we were not teaching as much. He made me the promise that I will be able to teach as much as I want to teach. He promised me that I will become a Master teacher. He told me I have the gift of discernment. He promised me that I will be able to teach anyone and help them out in their needs. It was so awesome! It was a very big compliment too. He said it is going to be hard, but he told me that he knows I am a hard worker. That was really cool! I promise I am not getting a big head though! It is still very humbling when I go and talk to someone and I look like a total idiot doing it haha! I am getting so much better though! And then Sunday night the Walker Family fed us again! It was pretty good! 

So that was my week. I had a very good week and I felt like I worked my hardest. My testimony is growing so much and I am learning to recognize the promptings of the spirit. Missionary work is so amazing, but so tough at the same time. I am striving to be the best I can be and to be exactly obedient. After all obedience brings blessings! Well that is about it. I love you all so much! Jacque congrats on winning your tennis tournament! Keep up the good work and maybe you will be able to beat me when i get home! HaHa Jaycee good job in soccer! Everyone else keep up the good work and keep on smilin! :) Mom I love you and Dad I love you! Thanks for all you do! I miss you all so much, but I know it will get easier! I love you all!! Until we meet again!

Elder Smith!

Here are the answers to your latest questions:

1. We do not have a ward it is a branch. We don't have to many members out here. We meet in a church building that is about as big as the building in arizona. It is smaller though. It is like the church on combe road.
2. I will send pictures home this week! :)
3. The missionary that is new is awesome. He is very funny! His name is ElderAndrews. He is from Draper. We are really good buddies.

I love you all!!
ps tell Jill and Shaun thanks for the package they sent! It was very nice of them! :)
PSS I like how you printed off the letters for me. I can't really print them off because I am never at the church. Only the library.

"I've Never been so wet from Sweat!" - 9/5/13

Hi everyone! How is everyone doing? I was very excited for today since I was not able to write you all yesterday! Oh PS HAPPY LABOR DAY!! I hope you all had a great day yesterday! I missed the fireworks big time. I loved going to  them every year. How were they? We didn't get any fireworks here. I was a little sad about that. Well yesterday for P-day all of the missionaries from the West Bank went to the World War II Museum. It was pretty legit! We all will have to go to it when I get home. It was rated the #1 attraction in New Orleans. It was really cool. We were able to watch a movie there and it was awesome! First movie I have seen in awhile. Don't worry though... Our mission President approved it. haha  

So I am glad everything back home has been going really well. Thanks for all of the letters and the packages you send me. They really cheer me up so much. I love them! Tell Jacque Happy Birthday for me! I am sad I missed it and the party.. How was the party? Jen told me that boys were invited? I bet she loved that, but Dave I bet you weren't digging that too much! haha Just kidding. How are all of my other nieces and nephews? I miss all of them so much. I look at pictures and wonder what they are going to look like in 2 years. That is crazy to think! Boston is going to have a deep voice haha. Well mom I am not going to lie... I am glad you went with Jill and grandma to the church sites, because they are going to be your new partners! haha. Hey so I have some bad news... I was not able to play golf yesterday... We are going maybe next week so I am hoping! Dad I am jealous that all of you get to go play Hill Field today in a tournament. You all better win for me... I really like that course except that I always played so badly!!! Oh well.. Kick some booty and get another W! Well good news... I am over my cold! I got over it by Tuesday. Thank goodness. Now to answer your questions momma:

1. We get $157 a month. This first month was a little tougher, because you had to buy all of the things you need like a pillow, a comforter, and some things you need down here. It has not been to hard living on a budget. I eat pretty well down here. I try and get fruit every time I go and veggies. I eat a lot of rice and noodles. For lunch I have a pb&j or a deli sandwiches. I am doing pretty well. Breakfast I have eggs and oatmeal and cereal. I only use my card on things I absolutely need like a bike repair tool or something like that. 

2. My morning studies have been really good. I start at 8 and read from the Book of Mormon. I am almost done with 2 Nephi. I have been getting so much more out of it. I also study the Pamphlets and Preach my Gospel. Then Companion study we start at 9 and go to 10 and go over what we did and do some role playing. Then we have from 10-11 the 12 week program. I have to do this for 12 weeks. It is like a training.

3. I do a lot of push-ups and core exercises. We have a gym and my comp doesn't ever like to get up in the morning to go so I just exercise by myself. I don't mind it at all. I actually have been gaining a lot of muscle. I've almost got my 6 pack back! The biking is helping a lot, but my legs are getting so big... I am worried that I won’t fit in my pants anymore! Haha. 

4. I usually don't hear from the mission president that often. He sends all of the missionary’s letters a couple times a week and I read all of those. I send him a weekly email as well. The only time we will really see him is at specialized training, zone conferences, or trainings. 

So this past week was really good. We did so much service! We had 18 hours of service! We had a specialized training on Thursday and Friday and we built a huge shed. I have pictures and I'll send them home when I can. It was so much fun. I really enjoyed it because it was really hard work. I have never been so wet from sweat in my life! It was crazy! I loved it though. We have had a couple of lessons this week as well. We got a new referral and we are going to go checkup on her today. I have been teaching some lessons. We always teach in unity though. My comp sometimes doesn't give me an opportunity to teach so I have been talking to him about that. I will sometimes just interrupt and say what I want to say. It has been a lot better though. We visit a lot of members and less active members and I always give them a spiritual thought from the Book of Mormon. I enjoy that. We are trying to find more people. That is what we have really been working on. It sometimes is hard though, because my comp doesn't really like to talk to people. I have been trying to help him on that. Well nothing else too big happened this week. I have been trying my best to work as hard as I can. These past couple of days have been pretty tough though. I have been pretty homesick. I miss you guys a lot. On Saturday I woke up super homesick and I asked Elder Provost if he would give me a blessing. It took a lot of nerve... He said yes. As he gave it to me he went over everything that I needed to hear and everything I was thinking about. It was a 30 minute blessing. I felt the spirit like crazy. I was crying like crazy... I hate being emotional. Whenever I feel the spirit I just break. My comp gives me crap for it, but then I just tell him that the chicks dig it and that shuts him up pretty fast! haha :) One of the reasons it has been really hard is because one of the Elders that lives with us is going home this next transfer so he only has a week and a half left. It has been hard because it makes me think about going home. The only problem is I have 16 transfers left... haha I just started! I try not to think about it, but it is hard. That has been probably the toughest thing this week.

But don't worry about me. I know I can do this. And there is no way I am going to give up. There is a quote that we listen to and it talks about pain. It says. "Pain is temporary; it may last for a minute, for an hour, for a day, or maybe even a year. But it will subside. If I quit, however, it will last forever." That is so true. Yes the mission is hard, but it would be so much harder going home and quitting. That is not even an option. I am glad I made that decision before my mission. Other than the homesickness everything has been pretty good. I have been sleeping well. I have been getting along with my comp pretty well. We have our ups and our downs. haha. But I have seen so much growth in myself. My testimony has been strengthened so much. I now know the true meaning of sacrifice. Luckily for me it is only a sacrifice for 2 years. That is easy! haha... (Not really, but it sounded good) haha. Time has been going by fast and slow at the same time. I am already almost done with my first transfer! I've been out for almost a month and a half! This is pretty cool. Well that is about it. Mom I love you. And I miss you so much. I look at your pictures every day. I hope you have been doing well. Dad I love you too! I miss you so much and I look at your picture as well. I have the picture of us 3 on my desk. I love it! The rest of my family I love you all so much! Thanks for all of the support and all of the prayers. I feel them and I definitely need them! I love you all so much! Until we meet again.

Love Elder Nick!