Week 25 - Protect Your Family

Hello!

This week I spent alot of time on a bus going to Rosario to fill out some paperwork. It was great to study and listen to conference talks. While we were in Rosario we ate at McDonald's which I have never been so excited to do because there are not alot of them in Argentina and it was a very rare opportunity! While at the offices I helped do a little paperwork and talked with the Elders there. I Got to see the President of the mission also which is always great. I was there with just my companion. Usually more people would be there but we got there late because we had to travel so far. So I just missed seeing my old companion Elder Winger :(

Then when it came time for us to go we couldn´t say no to going to Burger King :) (food is my weakness) Once back in Federal we had a Family home evening with some members in our ward. The dad however is not a member, we had homemade pizza and at the end I shared a scripture about protecting your family (Alma 43:47) We closed with a prayer and he asked us when we could come back which his spouse later told us never has happened! Then the next day he showed up at church with his family :) It is great to see the way that scriptures can effect people.

Thanx for the support.

Love, Elder Smart

Alma 43:47 – And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Laminites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.

Week 24 - Ice Cream for the kids!

Hello,

Man it is hard to think about what to write because so much happens in one week. This week we had a family night with a member family. We watched Prophet of the Restoration. I have missed watching that ever since I left the MTC. We have been working with the members alot this week and it is so fun to talk to the little kids. ha ha They are so funny. They think of us missionaries as people from different worlds, but then when I start to sing along with them a song they laugh and start to love us back as people ha.

Me and my companion bought two young member kids ice cream this week and they were so grateful for it! It was like we took them to Disneyland! It reminds me of how fortunate we are in the states with the things we have.

Spanish is coming along but the thing I don´t like is that I cant express myself exactly how I want because they have different kinds of sayings here. I am learning them though but I feel like an old man trying to learn the slang of young kids hahaha.

Well love you all Thanx for everything!

Elder Smart

Week 23 - Meeting Pres. Giuliani

Hello everybody!!

This last week has just been full of excitement! We had transfers and so literally the whole week I was running around because after transfers we had a meeting that was 5 hours away in Santa Fe. It was with our new mission President. He is amazing and so is his wife. At the conference I got to see a lot of my friends from the MTC, which was great because I miss them a lot.. We traveled back home that night to Entre Rios and all 9 of us Elders where standing on the curb waiting for our bus. All of a sudden an Elder took of running, and yelling saying "that´s our bus!" ha ha We all ran 200 yds in our suits to catch the bus and we did. People in the streets probably thought we were secret agents ha ha.

Every single day I pray that some one will come and ask us about the gospel because that means they are ready to listen. Well, what happened yesterday after church is that we were cooking and we got a knock on the door and I answered it. It was a young man and he asked me in English about what we believe! In English! Ha A miracle for me because I was more then happy to do it in English. We have scheduled to teach him this week and it is going to be cool. He is here in Federal studying medicine and has learned English from students who came here from the states. He is from Brazil.

Things are really great here and the Spanish is coming along :)

Thanx for the support Love you all!

ELDER SMART

Week 22 - Farewell Elder Black, until we meet again!

Aw man this week felt very long with the cold weather here and all the walking we did. It has been very rewarding though. With one of our investigators that Elder Black and I have been teaching we had a wonderful experience with teaching him about priesthood authority. Elder black taught it really well and it was like a light switch of understanding that showed on our investigators face.

He accepted a date to be baptized and he is working towards it :)

In church on testimony meeting all of the young kids got up and bore there testimonies in the way that cute little kids do. Well then this young boy named Facundo got up and bore his testimony. He is 9 and you couldn´t even see him standing behind the pulpit. He bore his testimony of his love for his savior and started to cry. The spirit in the room was incredible. It is amazing the power of the Holy Ghost, it resides in whatever place that people have a heart to feel it.

Today I found out that I am staying in the same area and that my companion Elder Black is going to a different area. I am not sure who my new companion is yet, so I will let you know that next week in my email. Elder Black is a great Elder that I have learned so much from. I am lucky to know him and I believe he will be one of my life long friends. We fought sheep and dogs and preached this gospel together. These are great memories that I will always remember. "Prepare now for the stories that your kids will one day ask you to tell them."- Elder Holland.

Thanx for all the love and support and Happy 4th of July..... I love AMERICA!