Hey family how is it going? Thanks so much for the letters and package that you sent me. It is great to hear from y’all. Time is flying by fast, the last week went by in a flash and I have learned so much. I am no where near fluent in Spanish yet and I still have a long way to go. Elder Miller and I had our first lesson in Spanish and it didn't go to hot but it didn't for everybody. Elders went into the lesson with all kinds of phrases on their hands and arms and in their scriptures. But we taught a full 40 minute of the first lesson and we did really well at that but we still have some kinks that we need to work out. I have learned when you put your trust in the Lord and in the Spirit and not focus on what you have prepared you can teach so much more powerfully. You teach a person and not a lesson, and that is what is important. Also prayer is what sets the tone for a lesson, and it invites the spirit. So I am excited and nervous at the same time to head down to the DR. I will learn the language faster, not be contained in a box, but there will be no English which is kind of scary. The Sunday and Tuesday devotionals are great but we haven't had any of The Quorum of the Twelve because they have July off. But we have had many members of the 70 come talk to us. There are 4 Elders in my district that are heading to the DR as well. We leave August 5th, so we go from Salt Lake to Dallas, to Miami to Santo Domingo, so any free time that I have waiting in the airport I will call y’all. We leave at 3:00 in the morning for the airport which is going to be no fun, so I will call as much as I possibly can. I just sent a package home with a pair of shoes. I guess missionary mall gave us 3 pair of shoes for the price of 2 so check the receipt and make sure we didn't buy three pairs. If we got 3 for the price of 2 just keep the other ones for when I get home. Also in the package are the addresses you needed and some pictures i printed out that y’all might like to see. Also I have instructions on how to get my driving record and the information needed to get that. I found out I needed this to be able to drive a car in my mission, so if you could send that to me as soon as possible in the MTC down there that would be great. The times that I can possibly call you look like from 9:40 to 10:30, and 3:45-6:00. So that might help if you have things to do that day. I'm enjoying my time here and I got to see Brent and Carolyn when we were outside working on our Spanish contacts so that was nice. I have wrote some letters for the kids that I just mailed because I don't have enough time to write them on the email with the gay countdown I have here. A funny story real fast, our teacher Hermano Scott came into class with his zipper down and his fly open. Sessions and I were the only two in the class that realized it, so every time he turned around we would kind of laugh but we didn't want to point it out in front of everyone so we were going to wait till we could. But we couldn't hold our laughter in when he sat down and it was wide open so it reminded me of Jacob and I at the dinner table when we couldn't stop laughing but he finally heard us and demanded to know so we pointed down low, and he was kind of embarrassed so I thought it was as funny as it could get in class. I think Jacob is more mature than a couple of the guys in our district which makes it fun I guess. Also I forgot my meal card one day so I tried to use my friends Cosco card to try to get by and pretend I swiped my card but I got caught so I had to run back up to our class and miss a part of breakfast. It kind of blows that we have to climb 5 stories of stairs to get to our class so that is a work out in and of itself. We just call it the tower of Babel because it never seems to end. The DR. Pepper jelly beans you gave me were awesome and tasted way good. It is nice to have something to snack on when you get back to the dorms at night. I am constantly on the move and am always doing something which is good I guess, but its hard not having any breaks that often. This is the reason I guess people learn so quickly here is because you go to about 10 hours of class a day so if you think school is tough try this, but it is good because you have time to learn the things that you need to learn. It is cool all the things that there are in the Gospel and it is starting to make perfect sense to me. I have a better understanding of the basic doctrines that I have known my whole life, and I am able to explain it so simply so others can understand which was hard to do at first. I appreciate so much all the things that y’all have done for me, and I will continue to work hard. At first it was hard not to be able just to pick up the phone and call y’all but I was able to get over it fast and focus on the work. I would write more but the computer keeps freezing so I gotta go. Have a great week and continue to write.
Love, Elder Smith
If you see words with extra letters, that is the computers fault
(There were lots of double letters, so hopefully I edited them all out for easier reading)Marti
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
First Letter Home
Dear Family,
I hope y'all were able to get my email I sent today. we have a timer on our account that is 30 minutes, so i wasn't able to say all that I wanted to. So again, please use Dearelder.com so I have more time to write y'all. I am glad that all is well and keep the Dearelders coming! The MTC is going great right now, the first 3 days were long and slow. But now time is flying and I'm learning so much. Prayer is a strong tool to invite the Spirit into our lives, and I know this to be true. Since being here I have written two complete talks for Sacrament Meeting in Spanish. I enjoy helping others who are struggling and it helps me learn as well. I encourage y'all to have personal scripture study for the day and learn from the Book of Mormon. Thanks so much for the emails, it was hard to get through them and then write y'all back. If you use Dearelder.com I can be prepared what to say and have more time to do it. Also if you could get some of the cool(crazy and appropriate) ties from my closet and some food and send it, that would be awesome. And Jacob we need some sports updates. Our teachers either don't care or will tell us what is going on. Thanks so much for everything and I will send home some pictures soon, hopefully. I'm guessing you already got the one of my companion and I. Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Smith
P.S. Also I have a bear in our room at night. One of our roommates snores the loudest and longest I have ever heard. I have learned to sleep with earplugs. I just remembered this so here it is.
Mom's input: He wants us to use Dearelder.com!! This would be good for everyone to use so as he says, he has more time to write instead of using all his time reading.
I hope y'all were able to get my email I sent today. we have a timer on our account that is 30 minutes, so i wasn't able to say all that I wanted to. So again, please use Dearelder.com so I have more time to write y'all. I am glad that all is well and keep the Dearelders coming! The MTC is going great right now, the first 3 days were long and slow. But now time is flying and I'm learning so much. Prayer is a strong tool to invite the Spirit into our lives, and I know this to be true. Since being here I have written two complete talks for Sacrament Meeting in Spanish. I enjoy helping others who are struggling and it helps me learn as well. I encourage y'all to have personal scripture study for the day and learn from the Book of Mormon. Thanks so much for the emails, it was hard to get through them and then write y'all back. If you use Dearelder.com I can be prepared what to say and have more time to do it. Also if you could get some of the cool(crazy and appropriate) ties from my closet and some food and send it, that would be awesome. And Jacob we need some sports updates. Our teachers either don't care or will tell us what is going on. Thanks so much for everything and I will send home some pictures soon, hopefully. I'm guessing you already got the one of my companion and I. Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Smith
P.S. Also I have a bear in our room at night. One of our roommates snores the loudest and longest I have ever heard. I have learned to sleep with earplugs. I just remembered this so here it is.
Mom's input: He wants us to use Dearelder.com!! This would be good for everyone to use so as he says, he has more time to write instead of using all his time reading.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
MTC Week 1
Hola mi familia, how are y’all doing? I am glad to here that you made it home safely. Sorry I haven’t written back home yet, but our p day is on Wednesday so I only have 30 minutes to use the email thing. On that note please do not send me letters on email now but use Dearelder.com, it is free same day delivery, and it doesn't take up the time I have to write you back. So please, write back to me as much as possible, and as much as you want. Jacob send me sport updates, and everyone else can write me. I enjoy getting these letters very much so.
I’m still alive and doing great, my companion is from Boise Idaho, and is 6'5'', so he is pretty tall. He is a great guy and our new District Leader. He keeps me focus and we work great together. We taught our first lesson this morning and it went really well. Also yesterday in gym time he was at first base in kickball and a guy running full speed ran into him and knocked himself out, so my companion is a pretty strong guy. Our district is amazing. I have some good friends in Elder Sessions who is going on a full ride to ISU to play QB, and Elder Robinson and Kalepi. Our district is very talented singing so I have picked up beat boxing for our jam sessions. So we all work out together because the bball gym was closed the day i got here for 2 months (gay). Also all of these guys are going to the San Antonio Mission. Also us four found out that the stretchy work out bands they give you are great sling shots, but not until our zone leader came out and chastised us. So are zone is supposedly the most obedient in the MTC, and I can see why because were are always being told we can't do stuff. But our group is amazing, and somehow I am one of the more mature ones I guess, so i am getting better in that regard. It was almost like a switch when I was set apart, my thoughts have been focused on my mission, and I rarely talk about stuff back home, unless someone brings up family guy or something.
I have seen many friends here and I have got too talked to them all for a while. I have seen Chris, Matt Mike, Brandon who leaves today, Roach , Dallas, Freddie, and Barrett. It is great to see so many of my friends doing the Lord's work and is one of the best feelings you can have.
The Spirit here is so strong, and that is why everyone learns so quickly here. In Spanish it is coming back way fast and I can pray, testify, do a door contact, and teach now. Our teachers are amazing, and they help out a lot. Here most of the time you have is called MDT time where you do whatever you want, so you learn about as much as you put into it. You only have one or 2 classes a day so you have to do a lot of the work on your own. With this there are no breaks, or naps. It sometimes is hard to stay focused during it, but I know that if I keep focus I can learn what I need to. So in two weeks I have to switch to complete Spanish which will be a huge change. That is what the three weeks is here for is to get somewhat good at Spanish. All of the devotionals, large group meetings, and so forth are incredible and not boring at all. I am awake writing as much down as I can. Your pen is your spiritual antenna, and that is what you can read to see what the spirit is teaching you. My favorite day was Sunday, because the church meetings were great, and the Fireside was great. Also you get to go on a hour and a half temple walk where you can chill around the temple.
Thanks for the letters and I am thankful for all that you have done for me. I have looked towards you as examples my whole life, and continue to stay strong. Please remember to send letters through dear elder so I can get you letters right away. And I have to go get mail anyways because the DL is the only person that can pick up mail, so I would like to get letters when I go. Tell Carolyn and Brent thanks for the DP, and can you send me a box with hot tamales and other candies inside, with some ties from my closet. I know that this church is true, and what I am doing is the best thing I can be doing right now.
Take care, I love y’all and have a great week!
Elder Smith
I’m still alive and doing great, my companion is from Boise Idaho, and is 6'5'', so he is pretty tall. He is a great guy and our new District Leader. He keeps me focus and we work great together. We taught our first lesson this morning and it went really well. Also yesterday in gym time he was at first base in kickball and a guy running full speed ran into him and knocked himself out, so my companion is a pretty strong guy. Our district is amazing. I have some good friends in Elder Sessions who is going on a full ride to ISU to play QB, and Elder Robinson and Kalepi. Our district is very talented singing so I have picked up beat boxing for our jam sessions. So we all work out together because the bball gym was closed the day i got here for 2 months (gay). Also all of these guys are going to the San Antonio Mission. Also us four found out that the stretchy work out bands they give you are great sling shots, but not until our zone leader came out and chastised us. So are zone is supposedly the most obedient in the MTC, and I can see why because were are always being told we can't do stuff. But our group is amazing, and somehow I am one of the more mature ones I guess, so i am getting better in that regard. It was almost like a switch when I was set apart, my thoughts have been focused on my mission, and I rarely talk about stuff back home, unless someone brings up family guy or something.
I have seen many friends here and I have got too talked to them all for a while. I have seen Chris, Matt Mike, Brandon who leaves today, Roach , Dallas, Freddie, and Barrett. It is great to see so many of my friends doing the Lord's work and is one of the best feelings you can have.
The Spirit here is so strong, and that is why everyone learns so quickly here. In Spanish it is coming back way fast and I can pray, testify, do a door contact, and teach now. Our teachers are amazing, and they help out a lot. Here most of the time you have is called MDT time where you do whatever you want, so you learn about as much as you put into it. You only have one or 2 classes a day so you have to do a lot of the work on your own. With this there are no breaks, or naps. It sometimes is hard to stay focused during it, but I know that if I keep focus I can learn what I need to. So in two weeks I have to switch to complete Spanish which will be a huge change. That is what the three weeks is here for is to get somewhat good at Spanish. All of the devotionals, large group meetings, and so forth are incredible and not boring at all. I am awake writing as much down as I can. Your pen is your spiritual antenna, and that is what you can read to see what the spirit is teaching you. My favorite day was Sunday, because the church meetings were great, and the Fireside was great. Also you get to go on a hour and a half temple walk where you can chill around the temple.
Thanks for the letters and I am thankful for all that you have done for me. I have looked towards you as examples my whole life, and continue to stay strong. Please remember to send letters through dear elder so I can get you letters right away. And I have to go get mail anyways because the DL is the only person that can pick up mail, so I would like to get letters when I go. Tell Carolyn and Brent thanks for the DP, and can you send me a box with hot tamales and other candies inside, with some ties from my closet. I know that this church is true, and what I am doing is the best thing I can be doing right now.
Take care, I love y’all and have a great week!
Elder Smith
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)