12-26-11

hey it was fun to talk yesterday. i dont have a whole lot of time today. but i hope you all had a wonderful christmas. This last week went really well for me. we had a lot of success and a lot of cool expereinces. we were able to have two baptisms. one for a hermano named heriberto and another named jesus. heriberto is really great and loves to come to church and is really excited to get healed so he can come out and work with us and have a church calling. he had a stroke a while ago and half his body is partially paralyzed. he had always accepted baptism but thought it was always too soon. we told him to pray and ask god and he always said he felt peaceful and good, but that he wasnt sure. then before last sunday we invited him to pray and then look for his answer during church. a few days after church we went to his house he went and got his book of mormon and told us to open it up to the first page. there he had written "ill be baptized the 22nd of december" and he was. it went super great and i got to confirm him a member and give him the gift of the holy ghost which was a first for me. jesus also got baptized and confirmed on christmas day. he is really old and has an infection in his foot. i helped him get changed and we took off his socks and skin was just falling off. it was really sad. i almost cried. he is a great man though and strong with all of the things that have happend to him in his life. he was an orphan at 12 years old and had to fend for himself from then on. it is amazing that god guides us to find all of these people that are prepared and really need this gospel.

i am staying here and am being the senior zone leader now so ill have to do a bit more. i didnt actually know there was a difference until now inbetween the two zone leaders so i learn a little more each day ha. im excited for the zone and the new missionaries that are coming. i know some of them. my comp is elder medina and i dont know him yet but hes mexican so that is good that ill keep working on my spanish. 

well i love you all and miss you very much. hope your holiday season goes great.

love 

elder smith

picutres: ward missionaries with jesus, baptism de jesus, heriberto baptism, ward mission team hymn at christmas activity, bishop santa, went to do a wedding a while ago and there was this kids dance thing.