4-9-12

pictures. got my easter package (thank you mom and fam!), mission pres came for a youth conference, my second pair of retired shoes i have one more that will last til the end though for sure doc martens, the kid we helped, food on sunday.


hello everyone. it was another amazing week here in mexico and we had a lot of really great expereinces. 

we had the opportunity to go to villahermosa for the zone leader cousel. we always have a two day meeting there where we talk a lot about the problems in the mission and how we can do better. our zone did really well compared to the others but we are trying to improve because the mission has been a little down. this month we put a huge mission goal and we are going to work hard to reach it. we talked a lot about the "real growth" of the church. we dont want to just baptize and then have the converts fall away, but the key is to help people really arrive at the conversion before baptism and then work with the members after so that they can stay together. we talked about how we can achieve that goal and it was mostly focused on becoming truly like christ, which was something that i had been focused on the days before we got there. it is amazing to see how the spirit prepares all of the mission leaders for the conference and share exactly what the mission needs. 

a funny thing. i saw a tv when i was leaving a house and it was the three ninjas on tv. 

we worked really hard with all the missionaries in the zone this week. we are trying to get them really motivated and to have more faith to see miracles. last week we challenged them to find 2 people to baptize in that very week that didnt have dates before. and this week we are trying to put 40 baptismal dates as a zone this week. we have seen a lot of miracles and i know we will continue to see them as we exercise more faith.

we´ve been working hard with vicente and he is progressing really well. he has read a ton of the book of mormon and all of the pamphlets we´ve left and is developing an increasingly powerful testimony. he will be baptized this saturday. also we´ve been working witha couple named carlos and tania. carlos is an inactive member and tania isnt a member. we committed them to getting married this week and they are excited and feeling the spirit doing their family prayer every night. 

other funny stories. we helped a little kid who got his arm stuck trying to reach a coin he dropped. his arm was caught between a metal fence protection. thats the picture. i asked for oil and then we got a crowbar to get him out. it was odd. also in the same house that we ate mungungo last week she gave us that fish. i liked it and ate two, but elder johnston didnt like it too much haha. 

anyways there are a lot of great things happening here. we changed houses too and our new house is a lot nicer and just us two there which is better as well. im loving the mission and learning a lot and have a lot to get done and a lot to learn in the time i have left. love you and and miss you a ton. and hope you have a great next week. 

love 

elder smith