10/10/11

Just to make sure you have the right address: 

misión méxico villahermosa

av. ciruito CD. Deportiva no. 206

col. Atasta C.P 86100

Villahermosa, Tabasco

México

Well another week has come and gone and they are going by faster and faster. we were very busy this week with the goal of getting 200 contracts.  That means we talk to 200 people on the street or in houses and invite them to listen to our message about the gospel of jesus christ. We also taught 32 lessons this week not which is really good. we are working hard and being blessed and i am learning a lot.

this week we found a ton of new investigators. one is named barnebe. we contacted him coming when we were coming down the stairs of an apartment building and i saw a light on in the house. we went over and he came to the door. we talked for a while and he basically said no at the start. after talking for about 5 min he invited us in to continue the conversation. when we sat down he explained how he doesnt let just anybody in, but that he felt that what we have to say is important and felt like he should let ius in. we taught the book of mormon and the restoration and he accepted everything. he is of another religion but said that he is going to read and pray.

we met another guy named jesus that is a psychologist. he is really intelligent and listens well, which makes lessons interesting. he came to church this week and the meeting went really well. we got there a little early with him and took him to meet some members, showed him the sacrament table and explained everything, and to meet the bishop and the stake president was visiting too. i met the stake president last transfer when we ate at his house so it was good to see him again and he was nice and talked to jesus for a little. As im writing this and saying things in english it sounds weird to be using the name jesus to describe a person. its less werid to say it like hayzeus like spanish. there are a ton of ppl named that here. anyway i spoke with my companion in sacrament meeting. i quoted a lot of general conference and even president monsons beatles reference to "all you need is love" i liked that a lot. i used that im my talk because i talked about love and charity and the book of mormon. i used it to try to get the members more excited to gain a testimony and do their visits and home teaching. i do love the ppl here and am trying my best to love them more and more. another sister spoke and the stake president gave a really graet talk as well and jesus liked the meeting a lot. hopefully he will feel good and have read the book of mormon when we go by tonight. 

also before i forget there is a sister here named sister millan and i was talking to here the other day. she lived in florida for 6 months and has a daughter still living there in college. anyway we went to eat inbetween conference last week with their family and she asked us totally out of the blue if we liked chipotle or if we knew it. i got super exited and said "I LOVE CHIPOTLE, THATS LIKE MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!" it was pretty cool. it was weird to be in a restaurant last week too. and it was just pizza hut but they gave us menus and it felt really weird. haven't done that in a long time. ha

back to the week. we were walking sunday night when a guy in a house called to us. we went to talk to him and he said. "Who are you guys? you are everywhere! everywhere i go i see you!" we explained that we walk around a lot, and that the ones in other cities are not us, but are other gringos not related to us, but from the same church ha. we then contacted him. i invited him to change his life. i explained the gospel of faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the holy ghost and enduring to the end and invited him to be baptized right in the moment. he was super exicted and accepted to come to church and to be baptized. we gave him a date for the 23rd of october. It was one of those right place at the right time sort of things, which seems to happen more and more as we are guided by the spirit! it was pretty cool though. 

later that night i had a really good experience with an inactive sister. she was the relief's society president but now is inactive because she got offended and her two daughters who are old are also inactive. we have gone by a lot with them in the past, and lots and lots of missionaries have gone by but she has never come back. we went over and i had a video clip of the emma smith movie in those d and c dvds that you sent me mom. we watched it and at the end, her and her daughter were both crying. as the video finished i didnt say anything for about the next 5 to 10 minutes. hna vadillo started talking and she said and was taught everything that came into my head to say. she was so grateful that we had come by and was truly taught by the spirit. all of us were. she has complimented me before and this day as well how the way i do things as a misionary is different that the others and she can feel a real change when we come in. she talked about how god had prepared us to come to her and help her. i spoke a little bit about trials and how we can overcome them. god doesnt give us trials to hurt us rather he gives them to us to strengthen us, if we choose to combat them with faith. if we try to do it on our own we will fall. I explained that to her and expressed the love that god has for them and their family and i even cried a little. the spirit was very powerful in that room and it was a real blessing to have participated in feeling that. 

the mission is an amazing experience. I am so blessed to be here among these amazing ppeople. i love the opportunity to share the gospel and to help people who are willing to act. there are a lot of hard things that happen, but so many blessings that outweigh al of the hardship. I love you all and miss you and hope that you have a great next week. 

love 

elder smith