Alright so I know you guys are really excited to find out about my new companion. His name is Elder J. He is SUPER awesome. I like him a lot. He is actually a visa waiting. So he will go to Brazil when he gets his visa. So in the mean time he was assigned here in LA speaking english. He is going to be speaking Portuguese. So since I am training him we also have to do language study! So we have 4 hours of studies every morning.. Talk about a tiring morning. We do personal study and then companionship study and then what is called 12 week. It is a training program for the first12 weeks for the new missionaries. And then we do an hour of Language. I am going to try and pick some of it up. That would be cool. I have picked up a little bit of spanish and hopefully portuguese! He is from Colorado. He is 19 and likes sports. He played 4 years of golf!1 So I knew right when I found out we would be companions that we would be good friends. We are going to try and play sometime soon. He comes from a family of 10. He has had 4 older brothers serve missions. He is a good kid. I have really enjoyed training. It has made me have to be even better so I can set the best example I can for him. We have really been getting along well one with another. He likes to work and is really motivated. We had 12 lessons in 4 days. So we are going to be able to work super hard together.
I didn't do anything really for my 6 month mark.. I was going to burn a tie, but then ended up not doing it. It honestly just felt like another day haha! It was a good day though! Hey I can't believe David proposed!! That is crazy!!! I am excited to see the video. He sent me some pictures! She looks like a cute girl. I am excited to meet her.
We also have still been painting houses and doing crazy amounts of service. Last week we had an incredible lesson with Sister M. I teared up baring my testimony to her and I know she felt the Spirit. She is slowly going to start making progress again. She committed to pray and ask Heavenly Father if the church is true and if it is what she needs to do. We will follow up with her tomorrow. She had some concerns with Prophets and we were able to clear that up with her. Another really cool experience is we have been helping this nonmember family with service and things like that. The guy used to speak at churches and the mom just loves us and always feeds us when we come over. We went over there on Saturday night and were finally able to give him a Book of Mormon and bear testimony of it. We are going over there again this week and check up on him and his wife and see how they are doing. I have a good feeling about this one. We have been seeing so much success with planting seeds and seeing people start to change. Now it is just time to start harvesting. I know that is what will happen really soon.
Alright to answer some of your questions. The Spanish elders are still living with us. Nothing has really changed there. Elder A. got transferred to WestBank Spanish!! So he is still in the same branch and I see him every weekend. So that is super nice! Our district has expanded. We now have 2 Luling Elders and 3 Luling Sisters. So our district now has 11 people in it.
( Westbank Apartments on Weekends )
I did not get your package... We were not home on Saturday. and we won't be homeuntil tonight. Hopefully they will deliver it today and give it to the office. I am not home really on Saturday - Tuesday. We are over at the westbank apartments.
Well I am doing great! I really like my new companion and I like training. We are working hard. I am seeing a lot of successes. The biggest success is how much I have changed. I feel different. My testimony is exploding. I want to share the Gospel with everyone and when people like sister M. don't accept it, it really breaks my heart. That was the hardest thing last week. I asked sister M. if she would come back and she said not yet and she doesn't know when. I kind of broke down. I love the people down here. I know they have their agency and they can choose for themselves, but it is hard. I just want people to flock to the fonts! haha I have really focused this week in my studies in the Book of Mormon. I was in the last part of Mosiah. It is where the people were having hardships and felt really heavy burdens. It said how Heavenly Father let them feel those burdens for only a moment. Then He blessed them mightly and saved them from their hardships. That is just like everyday life and expecially missionary work. We have to experience those hardships so we can feel the joy after we accomplish them with the Lord. He loves us so much and is always there for us. It is just like the story of the footprints in the sand. I love that. I know this church is true. I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. I love my calling and I love serving people. I love how we all are examples and people can see a light about us.
Well Y'all have a great week and enjoy the sunshine! I hope I get your package really soon! I miss you guys like crazy. Keep up the good work and keep on smiling! I love you guys!!
Love Elder Smith
PS. Do you mind if I go buy some more nike pants. I wear mine everyday. I love them so much more. They are so comfortable. They are like 80 bucks I think. Also I have been eyeing a jacket that would be nice to have. It is just a regular black jacket that is water and wind proof. It would keep me warm and then I wouldn't have to wear the big trench coat everywhere!! haha I think that is like 90. Just let me know!
PSS. I love you guys!!
PSSS I love you Mom