Week 71

Hello mom! It is so exciting to hear about all the things that are happening back at home with Ashley's mission call and everyone! I got the package from the mission home and the pictures where so great! I can’t believe how everyone has changed and everything! You and Bailee and Parker and Colton! Dad is kind of the same as before.

I met Elder Saloman and he said hey you are Elder Smart! We talked about the ward and the different people he met while there in Willow Creek. He is a big old guy ha.

This last week I was in an area close to mine with an Elder named Elder Handley. He is from New Jersey. I sent you a picture with me and 2 other missionaries well he is the one on my right side. The one on my left is named Elder Farley. They are both awesome guys I plan on hanging out with them when I get back. Me and Elder Handley went to Rosario on Wednesday afternoon and got there and did the necessary things such as visit McDonalds. We went and stayed in Elder Wingers pench after with a bunch of missionaries that I have met over the mission. 

We woke up the next morning and I was going to see Elder Hunsaker but he was far away from where I was and there wasn´t time to go see him :( Mom definitely go to his farewell he is an awesome guy. I sent things with a  Hermano here who is going to give the stuff to Elder Hunsaker and Hunsaker will get it to you guys.

I went and picked up my new comp and I was nervous he would be strange.... But he is sooooo cool. He is fun and has a lot of love for the people. He speaks good Spanish but he is getting used to the way they speak here. We went to a house the first day and a little kid asked him if he had pictures of his family and Elder Adair said no and the little kid said. "Bueno andáte" Haha (Alright leave) I laughed so hard. Then that night we visited a family and they gave us blood sausage (the blood is from a cow) and I didn´t tell him what it was until his 2 or 3rd helping haha. He was glad I didn´t tell him.

 We are having fun here in colon. I love introducing things to him because everything is so new to him and he isn´t used to things that are normal to me. I always ask "is it not like that in the united states?" because I can´t remember at all.....

The lady that is programmed is really great. She like I said has been investigating for 6 years. But what I think has helped alot right now in this moment is that we have included alot of new things with her. We gave her a hymn book and we have helped her to befriend a member in the ward. She has her date for baptism but we will see what happens because she tends to go to Buenos Aires alot to visit. We are trying to make everything work as far as time.

Well I will end for now but I love you and will talk to you all next week!
Love, Elder Smart

I will send the locro pictures next week to you ok. I love you mom so much and you look so good in the pictures from the cabin! I can´t believe how everyone is so different! It scares me... Do I look different in my photos mom? Well I love you and will talk to you next week,

Love, Elder Smart

Tell us all about your new companion. What's his name? Where is he from?

He is a stud. He was waiting in New York for his visa for a month! Elder Adair from Logan Utah

What do they do on the river? Any fish? 

Yes there are fish and stuff but they don't do much on the river.

That is a cool little boat. Do you know who it belongs too? Or what they use it for? 

No it is just there.

I sent two suitcases. One large one and a smaller one that fit inside. I hope they will be OK for Elder Santana. Do you know if he got them?

Yes he did and he says thank you! He might try to write you also to tell you personally!

Week 70

 Hey  family, how are you? I am really good. I will tell you first off that I am staying in my area and that I am going to be training a new missionary. I am going to go to Rosario to get him on Thursday. I am also the district leader. I am so excited because my friend here Elder Handley from New Jersey is training also, so we will be here together until the end of his mission! So exciting! Maybe I will train that kid Saloman from the Willow Creek Stake. I will at least see him!

I also might see Elder Hunsaker and his mom in Rosario. I am going to try to see him. You sent me two suitcases? and how much was it? Santana asked me the other day. I am going to get my package on Thursday and I told Elder Hunsaker to just leave it there in the mission home.

This last week we had a really spiritual lesson with the lady who had problems with her ex husband. She cried and said her first vocal prayer. It was way cool! We also taught a menus (less) active family and in the activity they all cried and now they want us to go back to their all the time. They went to church on Sunday and it was awesome to have the church just a little more full.

There is a lady in my area that has been investigating for 6 years or so and never got baptized ever. Well she is going to be baptized on the 16th if all goes according to plan!

Thank you for the package and everything and I will talk to you more next week! 

Love you always!
Your Son!

How are the people that their baby crawled out the door? Are you still teaching them? 

Yes we are teaching them and they are doing good! The Baby just crawled to look out the doorway right when we were there so when the mom came and grabbed the baby the missionaries yours truly was there ;)

Your dessert that you took to family home evening was great!!! Do they not have pudding down there or was it the worms that weirded them out? 

Just the way it looked freaked them out alot. And yes they have pudding here.

You talked about Locro. Did it really have pigs feet in it? Did you get sick? 

No I did not get sick. Yes it had pigs feet.

When do you think you will get your package?  

Thursday

How is the training going with Elder Goodman? 

I didn´t train him I was his step dad, cuz I was his second comp

When you go to the river and take sunrise pics, how early do you go? And is that on your P-day? 

Yes on p-day and at about 7:30 it pops up.

Do you know how many new missionaries you got today?

24 I think

How are your investigators this week? 

Our investigators are really good right now. 

Week 69

Hello,

This last week has gone by so quickly I can´t believe it at all! We have found some great people to teach here. One lady that we have found recently had trouble with her ex-husband and she wants to know everything about the church. She is very nice. She has a daughter named Alma. So when I told her about Alma from the Book of Mormon she thought that was cool.

This week we had an activity for the 25th of May. We ate something called locro. It has corn and is a creamier kind of stew that is really good! You can look it up on the internet. It has like pigs feet in it and stuff everyone was telling us to be careful because it might make us sick. They said remember elders the pench (apartment) is really small. haha Referring to the bathroom. In the 1st photo it is a member who cooked the locro he is an incredible guy who invites the spirit into the room when he speaks. The 2nd photo is of the church with all the people there! And the 3rd picture is me with some kids of the ward. The members dressed up like gauchos and they danced and  everything there after we finished eating. An investigator went and we played ping pong and stuff with him and it was a really good experience for him! It was way fun to have all the members there doing something all together.

We found a new family to teach and we wouldn´t of found them if their little baby wouldn´t of crawled out the front door. The man let us in and we explained the restauration and they had so many questions and asked us how we know this is true. We shared about the Book of Mormon and the man asked us where he could get this book. We gave it to him right there and he said he would begin reading. We are going to visit them this tuesday so I hope all goes well.

Sunday night we had a family home evening and we ate pizza and we brought the desert. We took chocolate pudding with smashed Oreos in it. And then we put gummy worms in it like we do in the states for Halloween. We then shared the scripture in Job 19:25-27 when Job talks about how the worms may eat his flesh but he still has faith in the Savior. The family loved it but they where weirded out by the pudding.

That is it for this week and I hope all is well at home.

I love you!!

Elder Smart

Are the Hunsakers the ones that have a cabin up by ours? 

YES!

Are you having transfers next week? The week Hunsaker leaves?  

Yes and so I will not write until Tuesday next week

Week 68

Hey Mom I got back on the computer in the evening time because you hadn´t written me early. This week was really crazy! On Tuesday me and Elder Handley, an awesome guy from New Jersey did divisions together. He came to Colon from his area about an hour away because he had to do a baptism interview for us. We went to a house and the lady that we had only taught once came out and she had the book of Mormon we had given her. She had obviously gone and talked to here Pasteur because she had a note stuck to the book of Mormon with arguing scriptures from the bible. She gave the book back and we continued on. Well I had the book in my hand when we arrived at our investigators house who had the interview to be baptized scheduled. She had a lady out side from a different church there and I had a bad feeling from the very beginning. This lady started making comments and we said we were not there to argue with her and she said she didn't want to either. Well next thing you know it she said we were from the devil and all sorts of stuff. We bore our testimonies and left and when we went back later that night we found out that our testimonies had helped alot and the investigator said she told the other lady not to come back. And that she knew this is the true church of god and if it weren't she wouldn't be in it. She was later baptized on Saturday it was a great baptism and now her daughter who is 30 wants to be baptized also.

We had zone conference in Parana and I saw some old friends from the beginning of the mission. It was so nice. Also I found out today that a family I was teaching had their daughter baptized finally. I was so glad cuz I reactivated the father while I was there and he had the opportunity of baptizing her. 

Who all went to the MM Lunch?

That is it for this week, I love you.
Love, Your son

How are your three investigators? Have you scheduled any of their baptisms yet? 

WE ARE IN THE PROCESS

You said that Colon is like St. George and a vacation spot. When you contact people are most of them on vacation and you won't be able to teach them again or do they live there?  

Well luckily I am here during the winter so no it isn´t that bad at all.

What kind of chocolate do you want me to send you for that family? 

Take 5 or Reese's or whatever you want!

Week 67

Hi 

The phone call went so fast! And I can´t believe I only have one more call left in my mission! I am freaked
out by it alot... Grandpa looked great and all of you did too! All of you have changed alot it is weird.

This week was really cool. We found tons of people and have made alot of progress with alot of people. We have three baptisms coming up that I am really excited for! One is a girl we contacted and she went to
church and institute on Sunday and loved it. The members received her way well. The ward members here are all so willing to help, it is great! I Love the members here. The house from which I called is a member who lived in Pergamino years back. So I show up and I talk about Pergamino and he loves it.

Well I love you and I will talk to you next week!
Your son 

When you said Feb 13th, is that the day you are released, the day you fly out, or the day you will arrive in the US? Just curious! 

That is when I will be in the USA.

What does the Pres. do for the missionaries that are leaving?
 A dinner for them and he cuts their ties and stuff. I don´t know what else.

Week 66

Hey today I don´t have a whole lot of time to speak because I have to go to Rosario and do transmites. It stinks because Argentina is making it more difficult for missionaries to be here. So I have to travel 8 hours today.... on pday. I am going to call you using skype. I will see about the camera because the family I don´t know if they have one. I am going to call you at about 5 o'clock our time here in Argentina and I don´t know the hour difference. I think it is 4 or 5 hours. So I need you to send me your skype account OK? What is your account name and stuff. So be ready Sunday and I will call you. You need to right me before Sunday though so Ican get the email.

Elder Hunsaker is an awesome missionary and he is getting ready to go home. His parents are coming to get him so maybe you could send a package with them or something if you would? I will make a list and tell you on Sunday OK?

Elder Sands is a really great elder. He was under alot of stress at the beginning of that transfer and I just shared a few words with him. He is a great missionary as well and he knows how to trust in the lord.

I love you and I will talk to you on Sunday!
Love your son!

How are the investigators in Colon? 

It is really great here in colon and we are working with alot of great people who are progressing well. We find people really easy and I feel really good with my Spanish!

How is the training with Elder Goodman going? Where in Arizona is he from?

He is from Tucson Arizona and it is going well and he is learning well.

Are you enjoying training him and showing him the ropes? 

Yes ha he is great he loves my cooking and the things I know about Argentina.

Was he in Colon before you got him? 

Yes for two transfers.

Can you get microwave popcorn?

Yeah they have it here.

 

Elder Sands and Elder Smart

Week 65 With Elder Goodman

Hello family! Well last Wednesday was a crazy crazy day. I woke up in the morning and finished packing and everything and I went to say goodbye to some people. Then we had the baptism at 2 in the afternoon.  It was just perfect but also sad because I said goodbye to everyone there. :(  Alvero and his family were sad I was leaving because now they are active in the church and blessing their little 1-year-old girl Guadalupe next week.

Directly after the baptism I went to the pench and grabbed all of my things and headed to the terminal. I said goodbye to Elder Farley and it was sad. He is a great friend. I arrived in Rosario at 7 PM and I waited till 1 AM ha. I waited with Elder Winger and his companion. We ate at McDonalds, it was good. Also the soccer team Boca was playing and it went into penalties so the whole place was going crazy!

I got on the collectivo and I arrived in Colon at 6:00 in the morning.... Then I went out and worked all day ha. The area is basically like St. George at home in Utah. It is just a place for people to come and take it easy and enjoy like a week long vacation. It is a great place and the people here are great and way friendly. It is a branch here of about  40 people and I want to help them become a ward! That is basically it for this week but I will write a ton more next week about my new adventures!
Love elder Smart

How is your new area?

It appears to be small like Federal? It is small just like federal. But the houses are more spread out I think not so much farm country.

Your new pench?

The best shower I have ever had ever and we have a microwave! It is also very clean so I like it a lot.

And your companion?

Elder Goodman from Arizona. Tall and has red hair.  Kind of looks like that _________ kid who was on Parkers football team a long time ago. But a little taller than me.

Did you have to travel by yourself? How long?

I traveled all night I will tell you the story.

 How are the bus systems? Are they easy to use?

Yes

Grandpa wants to know if you have hot water in your shower?

Yes for the first time in a long time basically my whole mission.

Also did you get your scripture covers before you left?

Nope not yet I am still organizing that with the guy who does them. Do you think I should get Bible and Book of Mormon covers?

When was Elder Wair supposed to arrive home?

Last Thursday so give him a little time. Probably this week you will get the package.

Was he going to make contact with us?

No idea

When will you know about your Mother's Day call?

I will tell you next week because I am preparing that this week

.

Will you be able to skype? 
 Yes I believe so

Elder Smart and His Cake

Elder Smarts Cake

Elder Smart, Alvero, Elder Fairbanks

Alvero and his family at his baptism

Me in my Holland jersey and the River Uruguay