Hello everybody,
it was another great week here, but also a week with some challenges and sad things.
tuesday we went on exchanges where i stayed in my area with an elder form another area in the zone. we contacted a man named vicente on the street and it was one of those where i felt like we should see him as fast as possible. we put an appointment with him for the next day. when we went he was waiting and ready. we taught the gospel of jesus christ and he accepted to be baptized the 1st of april. he said he needs to come closer to god and he has been completing with all of his commitments including reading and praying about the book of mormon. he also came with us to a baptism that two other elders were having in our zone and liked it a lot. the only bad thing is that there was a youth activity before we had helped out with and we played like 10 min of volleyball before the baptism started and he got to know ppl and it was all good, but then he hurt his ankle. i didnt think it was too bad, but he missed church because he had to go see a doctor ha. it is all fine now though, but ya the only bad thing about activities like that, though it helped him a lot so i think it was worth it. im excited for him and know he will be a future leader in the ward.
we had some good meetings this week with pres castañeda and the stake presidency and also with the ward in making plans for missionary work in the stake and talking about how we can complete our goals for this year in raising the assistence and trying to split the stake the fastest time possible.
we´ve been teaching a lot of really great ppl. we´ve been teaching the sister in law to palmira, maria and her husband javier. they dont know a lot about the gospel but they are trying and willing to learn. they have a date to be baptized together the 1st of april as well.
we had the baptism for cristal on her birthday this last thursday. it went really well and we had a lot of members there. i sang the primary song "im trying to be like jesus" with the primary and it went well, and then their neighbor and member of the high counsel baptized her. after they brought barbacoa and cake and we sang the mexican birthday song, then i got everyone to sing "happy birthday" when they brought out the cake. there was a great spirit there and helped everyone feel unified.
there are transfers and elder medina is going to go to palenque and i am getting a new comp named elder johnston. he is cool and i know him already. he will be a new zone leader so i will have to do a lot more of the things until he gets the hang of it. he is a good missionary though. it will be sad to leave elder medina, he has been a great companion and helped me to grow a lot.
bad news. friday night jose fell again and drank. nobody told us. saturday jose and palmira fought because palimra was mad that he drank. it is sad that she didnt support him more and be positive. he was drinking EVERYDAY, before we found him, and he drank once in a week. i know it is harder for her to believe he can change because he had failed them so many times before and for so long, but he was really changing. everytime we met with him he had an experience where he cried telling us about, but she was always negative about him and i think it got to him. in life we need to talk initiative and do things ourselves for ourselves, but also we always need support. a positive attitude, kind words, and a compliment go much much much further than we may think, and the same goes with a bad word or tearing people down. it went much much further than i had ever imagined that saturday in the morning he left to cancun where thy lived before and we dont know when he´ll be back. we will keep working with the family here and try to contact him so that he can come back. he didnt get confirmed yet. they told us this sunday morning. it was rough. the lord blesses us with so much, but sometimes i let that get clouded out by the bad things that happen. I am eternally thankful for the knowledge that god has given me of his gospel. i have learned so much about the terrible consequences that occur when people dont keep the commandments, especially when it comes to drugs, alcohol, and adultery. it is a sad world unless we make it a better one. just as ive learned that, ive also learned that happiness is a decision. if we want to be happy, we can be. not to sound cliche or anything, but it really is true. i have learned to not be destroyed when bad things happen. whereas wehn i was reading in my journal at the start of my mission i def did ha.
i know that god loves and knows us and that he has an eternal purpose for each of us. i know that everything in the end turns out well and that everything that happens is for our own well being. i love and miss you all and hope you have a great next week.
love,
Elder Smith
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