Last Week of the Transfer!

8/18/14

Family and Friends,
    What an amazing opportunity it is to be a missionary in the Washington Kennewick Mission!  This week has been absolutely fantastic and full of spiritual experiences. A lot of our finding techniques has been tracking therefore we have been soaking it up in the sun this past week.  I feel immensely grateful to have a car because I can hardly walk from door to door without panting!  I've truly grown a deep love for the people here in Warden, Washington.  Through the experiences I've shared with my companion, I have felt my testimony grow and realize the necessity of teaching with the Spirit. It's interesting to see when the spirit is present in the lesson and when it is not. The atmosphere of the room is completely altered when the spirit is next to you providing you with a companion that can testify to your investigators.
    Last night, we had the opportunity to meet with Adan.  Adan is one of our investigators that we found tracking.  We had the opportunity to teach a spiritual lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it could bless him in his life. The spirit was present.  Soon after, Adan's brother walked in and insisted on sharing several biblical verses about why our church is incorrect. The spirit....was instantly drawn from the room. My companion and I shared several verses and testified of the truthfulness of our message in a respectful manner, but this gentleman was quite persistent to say the least.  It allowed me to realize the importance of standing in holy places.  On or off the mission, we always must strive to dwell in places where you can feel comfortable and uplifted.  When we fail to do so, we will notice a light in our life taken away that was present previously.
    We've been blessed with several new investigators here in Warden and we know that as we continue to act in the faith the Lord will continually shower blessings upon us.  We've noticed a way to accomplish this is through the power of prayer.  We have a little 10 year girl investigator named Mariana.  Mariana is in a tough situation because she wants to be baptized, but the dad will not agree to the idea.  We asked the mom (Member) to pray and to approach the father and bare a simple testimony to him this week.  Simple truths are the most powerful.  For this reason my companion and I have been praying on a non-stop basis to soften the heart of the father.
    I know that this church is true. There is no doubt in my mind that with this gospel comes change. Through acting in faith brings about change.  Through Jesus Christ WE WILL be changed. I love you all so much and miss you greatly. Have a great week.

Love always,
Elder Smith





Loving the Mission!

August 11, 2014 
Hello Family and Friends,
What an amazing week it's been here in the Washington, Kennewick Mission.  Great things are happening and the weather is absolutely phenomenal.  Like I say continually, I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful time of year and taking the last few moments of summer to relax and spend time with family.  Staying close and loving your family is something that we all need to cherish and keep close to our heart.  Family is what holds us all together and keeps us united.  Family and love are directly intertwined.
Elder Johnson and I tested our faith this week as we spent several hours knocking on doors.  We fortunately found a handful of people that are prepared to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Although we received several rejections, we felt the Lord's hand guide us to the elect. It's amazing to see the two types of responses we recieve from those we contact. Although most people reject us, it is important to look at all of them as Sons and Daughters of Christ.  Only through pure love and charity can missionary work be brought to pass. Striving to achieve a perfect love of God's children can at times require acting in faith, but it's then that we will feel the light of Christ in our lives and theirs.
It has been an amazing opportunity to serve here in Warden, Washington. I love the people and I've come to love missionary work more while serving here.  It's truly been a test of my faith.  I know the Lord sent me here to gain experiences and to allow me to learn several important principals. Sorry for the semi-short letter, but I am getting booted-off.  I love you all so very much and appreciate all the support.

Love Always,
Elder Smith



  

Todavia, Estoy en Warden:)

August 4, 2014 

¿Cómo le va familia y amigos,
Mi semana aquí en Washington ha sido marvilloso, el clima es caliente, como siempre, pero ahora tenemos el aire en nuestro trailer! Es imposible a respirar sin aire en su casa. El tiempo llegó a 107 grados esta semana y estaba caliente! ¿Cómo va todo en Huntington Beach? Ha comenzado la U.S Open? Yo sé que los eventos que vamos a tener cerca de Warden sonuna feria y un rodeo. YEEEEHAAAWWW!
Es divertido oir de todas las cosas interesantes que esta pasando de sus correos electrónicos. Me encanta escuchar acerca de cómo todos estamos encontrando nuestro lugar y seguir creciendo. Si me envies un electrónico, voy a estar muy agradecido.
Esta semana ha estado muy ocupado y lleno de cosas interesantes. Es increíble ver a nuestros bautismos continúan progresando en el Evangelio y permanecer fieles. Además, es increíble ver cómo podemos hacer una diferencia en las vidas de otros. Sin embargo, es Dios y Jesucristo que hace la diferencia. Tuvimos la oportunidad de hablar con Adan anoche. Adan es un investigador que el Señor nos guió a la semana pasada. Cuando lo conocí, él estaba fuera y yo le di una breve introducción al Libro de Mormón. Él dijo que podíamos volver y tuvimos una lección increíble. Era más difícil de hablar español porque enseñamos en mayoría Inglés, pero era muy espiritual. Es bueno tener un altavoz que puede hablar fluentemente a mi lado, Elder Johnson. Adan preguntó cuánto cuesta de tener estas lecciones con él, solo se rió. A veces le extrano a mi casa, pero yo no cambiaría por nada el trabajo misionero.
Tengo un fuerte testimonio de este evangelio. La oportunidad que tenemos todos los días para compartir con nuestros amigos es verdaderamente increíble. Yo sé que mi Salvador vive y lo sé porque lo veo todos los días. Siento su luz en mi vida y me siento el cambio que tengo. Estoy agradecido por la oportunidad que tengo de participar en el Sacramento cada semana. Te amo y te extraño mucho.
PS Espero que puedan traducir este email;)

Con amor,
Elder Smith

*Elder Smith is still loving Warden Washington. He says that there is a carnival and rodeo coming up in the little town! He is grateful for friendship and the friends he has made on his mission so far as well as throughout his life. Elder Smith and his companion have been teaching a man named Adam who seems really interested in the gospel. Adam asked how much it costs to take lessons from the Elders haha. He hopes Adam progresses with wanting to learn the gospel :) Elder Smith loves and misses everyone and would love to receive some e-mails he says.*

6 Months Tomorrow!

 July 28, 2014
Family, Friends, and Cows,
How is everyone's week going?  We're coming up on August here and the summer is sadly coming to a close.  Where has the time gone?  At times I feel like days feel like months, but the months feel like days.  Time lapse is quite unpredictable while serving a mission. Tomorrow, I'll have been out on my mission for 6 months....that's unbelievable!  I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the missionary tradition and burn a tie for my 6th month mark.  Apparently, when you hit your 6th month mark you burn a tie, 1 year you burn a white shirt, 1 1/2 years you burn pants, and 2 years you burn an entire suit!  Those crazy missionaries and their traditions:)

We've heard and seen several strange things happen since we've arrived in this small city.  Today we had the opportunity to de-horn some cows for good old Brother Finch.  I felt quite inexperienced and am not fully adjusted to this farming lifestyle.  I was in charge of holding the cows still as he burned the horns off.  I couldn't believe he put a little guy like me to tend to this cows that were kicking a screaming.  My skinny body had to fight back and dodge the cow's kicks! He was giving me a bad time about being a little city surfer boy:) 
Warden Fun Fact:  *In the 1980's Warden, Washington was the murder capital of the world per capita*
As far as our housing situation it's fairly nice.  We are living in a trailer out in the country and far from town.  Unfortunately, the AC blew out and it's been 100 degrees fairly consistently.  It's quite exciting living under different circumstances.  My companion's are doing great and we are enjoying each others company.  Elder Sittman is going home next Monday and leaving me and Elder Johnson to take over Warden. 
This week, I had the opportunity to have the first baptism's in my mission. Sara Leishman and Jessi Madragales.  I know these two very well and was so excited to see them enter the waters of baptism.  Being a part of these baptisms was the boost I needed to keep a spiritual mindset. The service went tremendously smoothly and was a spiritually uplifting experience for all who attended.  I had never realized how much work it is prepare a baptismal service!  The following day, we confirmed them as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Receiving the Gift  of the Holy Ghost is a remarkable experience.  Throughout there lives, as they stay worthy, they will be led and guided to paths of righteousness and happiness. You can tell that these two are truly converted and will always be faithful members of the church.
Well I'll email you all next week with some more crazy stories about Warden, Washington!

Love Always,
Elder Smith