Letter #15

Hello Everybody!

elder smart is back for another wonderful letter time!

alright folks! heres the goods!

First off thank you to Sister Sneddon for the most recent letter.  I love hearing from everyone back home.  To those of my family members and friends that haven't had time to write me, PLEASE PLEASE write me.  It helps me feel like I'm not so alone.

We had President Piper come and teach us and let me tell you . . .  I'll be honest I was a bit nervous and NOT thrilled about the President Piper's mission tour.  Before we got there, prior experience made me feel that having them come normally means they are going to scold you by ripping out your heart throwing on the floor and stamping on it before giving it back to you...  well let me tell you President Piper overcame my bias opinion of the whole conference.  He taught us in a manner that was purely uplifting and genius, he did it all by just asking questions and so forth.  We even made him cry when we sang amazing grace.

alright, funny story for the week, we have had SEVERAL potential people we have run in to.  Two of which are Daralyn Shoe and a guy named David.  So he instantly was interested in what we had to say, so like a pro I start leading into the first lesson, getting ready to back go into the first lesson!  But he was  wondering about why there were so many churches so I got SO excited that I went to the very BEGINNING instead of just finishing through...

and appearantly my amoeba analogy isn't very successful here because apparently NO one knows what that is.  However before I could get to the jist he cut us off and said he'd talk to us later and closed the door.  (I felt like hitting my head against the door over and over again!)

anyway, time for the good news!!!!!

good news is that we have TWO baptisms with in the next few weeks!

Rebecca's niece (who she has custody to) and her fiancée are going to get married RIGHT before they get baptized on the 6th!!!

during the week they had ran into us when we visited brother Larson and told us they wanted to be baptized!!!!  I was so giddy that I practically danced around right there, granted I felt like an idiot after wards but heck these are the FIRST people that I have been an actual part of their conversion!  Chris had FINLLY gotten his answer when rebeccas home teachers came and for awhile there was a change in Natalie too, instead of her usual punky clothes she was wearing bright happy colors and had a pony tail!

I've had ah-ha moments.  I like learning about stories and instances in the scriptures.  I feel I have a better testimony but I wish I just felt happier

well folks, that is the news for today!

goodnight, and good luck..

Love,

Elder J Smart

Letter #14

well howdy do my reader... um... roos?

BAM! its another letter from le elder smart com'n yourway!!!
sooooo much has... oh wait.... okay I'll be straight with ya'll this week has been kinda flat.
the rynaski home has been kinda rough to work with.
Natalee is being a total pill, she tells all her friends how excited she is to be baptized but she talks to us and she suddenly talks about how boring the bible and book of Mormon and church are and how its a waste of paper when she doesn't really believe all that, I keep seeing so much of how I over complicate everything.
 I kept answering her questions like it was no big deal cuz it wasn't.
I tried to explain that of course church isn't always gonna be fun! that she's a thirteen year old. but she has this thought that she is so much more different XD so of course she would start trying to say 'its boring' just to annoy us, which unfortunately it did but I didn't let it show.
OH MAN! I almost forgot!
I had my first naked person this week!!!!!
so me and elder mossbrucker are out knocking on peoples doors.
(just before we meet our new potential greg who did ALOT of talking.)
we knocked on the door, but since it was a trailer (and nobody believes in door bells in this state) we walked along it to another door that was on the other side, I had seen someone walk out and figured they'd either gone in or gone round back, well I see this grey haired lady sitting in a camp chair and reading a book, I raised my arm and as usual I tried to say howdy in my usual cheery voice, however my voice dropped as I did it as soon as I realized this woman wasn't wearing a single thing so we stand there for a moment, then turn on our heels and left.
Me mentally:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Me; what the heck do we do in that situation!?!?!
MOSSY: I dunno!.... eye contact?
... show her the book or momron and use it to censor her body??

we had a laugh at that for sure XD
so I got a call from president this week about a guy who called them, his name wa cliff and after awhile I knew EXSACTLY who he was!
appearantly I'm considered aggressive, he had been rude to president, he called to tell us to just mark him on our records as 'do not tract.'

I felt bad and apologized, I had let my temper get in the way
he asked
P: 'well what did you say?'
ME: well I told him that he was a fourty to sixty year old man who just outsmarted 2 twenty year olds.... congradulations...

.... he laughed XD
he told me to leanrn from this experience and so forth but I didn't get chewed out.
my testimony is very much like a roller coaster UP then DOWN and so forth XD
I'm trying my best OH!!
we got to see the swede day parade Saturday and that was fun! pictures will becoming to you all soon!

...I kinda wanna bear my testimony (as wimpy as it may be.)
that I know that of all the churches only this one has any real legitimacy.
by its fruits ye shall know them. and I know the fruits of this church are sweeter than any I have seen so far and it si far more lasting.
I love you all and I love my heavenly father that I would go through this.
I say these things in the name of jesus Christ amen.

that being said I gots ta go! ADIOS MUCHACHOS!!!
HUP!

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Letter #13

Elder Smart here relaying the usual mission report for this week!

and BOY lemme tell ya, I have been FEISTY!

Lately my patience for people who want to bash us has been really short fused.

Saturday we had a guy who we knew would be trouble because on his door he put 'Stop the war!' and then a s drawn in crayon.   The door opens and out comes this older guy with freakishly huge glasses and  a sixties smart guy look to him.   So we tell him who we are and etc,  and his reply is 'oh, you mean that guy who said love one another and bending the spear heads to make plows?' or something along that line, then talks about how its funny that the church doesn't protest war and the fact that Heavenly Father allows the U.S. to drop 500 pound bombs on Afghanistan.  .... what the heck am I supposed to say to that?!?! my mind went totally blank and I Was NOT happy about it!!!

we tried to explain stuff but we really had no idea what to say to that! it had no real gospel relevance.

I can't remember what I said, oh wait! I was telling him how we didn't know as much as he did, it was along the lines of 'great job, your like sixty and you out smarted a couple of twenty year olds in politics.'  what REALLY made me mad was he kept telling us to look up these obscure pastors from the sixties and how it seemed they had more integrity than US.  

 On the bright side WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!!

Johanna Liang got baptized yesterday! it was great! the owens family were all there!( a HUGE chunk of our baptisms in Rochester have been because of them.) I brought him up quite a few times. Still kinda working things out but the ward is supportive, however theres a slight amount of judginess but its alright.

we do ALOT of service in Rochester due to its small size, I sometimes think that we are being pushey too much, but we are working it out.

Natalee is being a turd.  She's got 'wizardbooks' and we are slightly nervous about them, cuz sometimes she's been acting kinda weird, BUT that's probably because we aren't giving her anymore attention, we have changed to paying attention to chris, rebeccah's 'nephew' who is marrying her actual neice.. we are hoping to move it up sooner because we have suspicions that she is infact pregnant. we met John, rebeccahs flacky punk of an X who lets his children watch movies like blade, Constantine and matrix -.-

messsssssssssed up.

We have a mission tour this week so... yea, nothing getting ripped a new one from the seventy.  my previous experience with these have made me slightly anxious about them.    we have elder piper coming and president said he is very... business-y. I have a hard time with those types, I have a hard time with stuff as it is, I hate getting grief for not being good enough when I already feel that way.

to answer my mommas questions me and elder mosbrucker spend a little bit of time studying together we talk about what we learned as well as other things, I have yet to use any of the C.D.'s but I'm working on it.

Despite all of my struggling I have been hanging, I appreciate and am very greatful for all of the love and support I get from everyone.  Thank you to all those that wrote me this week.  And thank you Mom for the socks and Grandma Shakey for the package.  Grandma, the package was torn so I hope nothing was missing.  If you will write me and tell me everything that was suppose to be in it I will make sure I got it. I love you all.

A very special happy birthday to a sweet young woman who deserves all of the love in the world, just for how special she is - my very special and dear friends, Savannah K. Saunders.

Mosbrucker has really been helping me out since he's a good listener, I wish I was more relaxed and sure about things in the mission.  We had a big talk that really helped me out.

Special request - please  pray that I will be able to deal with my anxieties and learn how to teach others.  Also, I need to learn to enjoy writing these letters! I have been dragging along, if I don't answer I ran out of time! I love you all and miss you lots mom.

Love,

Elder Smart

Letter #12

HELLO! my followers! its your beloved elder smart here ready for another blogarific letter!

allow me to start off by saying I hate transfers -.-

they suck an they make me cry... we lost A.P. price and a bunch of other cool elders.

I hugged him tight and said.

'don't go price don't go!!!' I was a wimp -.-''

THe last week was kinda long and a drag, see here its ALOT smaller and every everybody alreaedy knows everybody so tracting is rather uneffective, however it is ALOT of ward maintenance, and despite that we have TONS more. 

In other news, this week hasn't been all that hot, still kinda have to get used to the new families and all the other people, lund (the elder I have replaced) had been there for SIX months, so everyone would kinda look at me like 'who are you?? you arn't lund!' and I kinda had to work around that without feeling too bad.

I got owned by a guy we met.  He started bashing and Jones wasn't there to own him an all I could say at one point was 'I can't say I am as well versed as you are but-' and then proceeded to try my best.  I felt bad, but Lund made me feel better cuz even if I HAD out done him he would have just been mad and not listened anyway. 

its very low key here so I struggle with not doing as much as in gig harbor.

BUT we have a lot of people we are working with and my First journal is almost done!!

AND Jones found my check writing pen!!!! eeee I am so happy!

only other problem with Rochester is that they FEED you here!!! like... ALOT!!! we've had three breakfasts a lunch and  several dinners and I dunno what I'm gonna do about that!! 

in anycase riding a bike will probably be pretty amazing to have, I hope the families whos numbers I have given have called you mom!

also, HAYDEN! WRITE ME FOO!

a special thanks to lucy spencer who sent me a letter, (who is on a LONG list of people a need to write back' especially the sampsons and all my grandparents.  A VERY Special thanks to the adorable Georgia peach who sent me such sweet gifts! I am so happy and greatful to everyone and a belated happy birthday to my brother!

I am sending a package that will take care of mothers day, my monthly package and fathers day and guess what folks?! I FINALLY RAN OUT OF MEMORY ON MY CAMERA!

so now you will all have a lovely barrage of random pictures from the past three months!

-yaaaaaay-

I've oddly enough been thinking about Cameron this morning, I remember his email and have been considering writing him.

anywho lemme tel you of some of our investigators!

we have rebekahs family!

she is in a REALLY bummer situation, SHE is baptized but her daughter and neice (who is more of a daughter) and her fiancée I am VERY greatful that lund and Mossbrucker were able to clean up the mess that some of there predecessors had made  apparently one of the elders that was here we aren't suppose to say his name, he wasn't very pleasant so I normally refrain from bringing him up.

this week seemed to be forboding but come P-day the world seems so much brighter.

thank you all for your love keep praying for me!

PS -  as an add on I forgot to mention THREE things, I was AGAIN in the missionary fireside.  I've been in two and have sang the same songs, they were awesome, I got to see a lot of my old comps and MTC mates.  We are losing a lot of the other group of greenies that came out with us to the new mission, Federal Way so that's a bummer.  We have a baptism on Saturday and I will write more about that later.

I got my suit pants and I only brought half of the stuff that mom sent me when I left.  I left the other half with Jones to be courteous.  I still have enough T.P and yes I still have LOADS of pants.