¡Hola Familia¡ I can´t believe another week has past!!! I feel like I´ve been gone forever, but yet still feel like it was just yesterday that I said goodbye. It´s interesting how time works.
So here´s the update from this week... I´ve become quite the athelete! Every day we have an hour of physical activity. I run, play volleyball, and play futbol (with all the competitive Latino Elders), thankfully they don´t get mad at my terrible coordination! There are about 150 missionaries here, 26 are Sisters, and 9 are North American sisters. And, of course, I am my father´s daughter, I am a social butterfly.
So now for the exciting news! My schedule is still the same. I´m loving it here. I´m learning a lot and feeling the Spirit so much. On Saturday, we got to go out into the city and proselyte!!!! We left the CCM around 730 and got to our designated ward buildings, were given pamphlets and Books of Mormon, and we out in the town at 9. There was a teacher for every two companionships. In the morning, it was just Hermana Calderas and I. The first person we talked too seemed interested, we gave him a pamphlet and the information to go to church. But, after talking to him, or success wasn´t as great. I seriously had NO idea what was being said. I´d just smile and say the words I knew. We were talking to one man and in Spanish he called me a beautiful girl. I didn´t understand him at first, so he said it twice and all I heard was "bonita", so I just said "Gracias" until my companion explained to me later what he said. After lunch, the teacher, Hermana Pacheco was with us. She was very helpful! We didn´t have a lot of success still. People would talk to us, but wouldn´t be interested in receiving a pamphelet or contacted. Hermana Pacheco told me to keep my postive attitude and smile, so I did. She was telling my companion some advice of what to do differently, but we still weren´t having success. Hermana Calderas became upset and got to the point she didn't want to talk anymore. Which meant I had to talk MORE. It was SO scary. The people were patient with my Spanish, but they listened to me, and as I talked to more and more people, my Spanish became better. Finally, we were able to go into a house and teach! It was so awesome! The missionaries are going to go back and teach that family. Anyway, we returned and all the missionaries talked about they´re success. Some committed people to baptism, some brought people to tears about the Book of Mormon... I became a bit upset that I didn´t have any success like that. But, as I was riding the bus back I felt a feeling in my heart and mind that I gave my all that day. I felt peace that the Lord was proud of me for my hardwork and I wasn´t discouraged about not having any amazing success.
Well, it´s time for me to get going. On Sunday, I had this thought come to me that I really am a missionary! This is my life. At the beginning of my mission I had desires to go home, but I don´t have them anymore. I miss you all and my friends, but I have no desires to go home. Dad shared this poem/quote with me, it´s called "The Fellowship of the Unashamed" and this is how I feel: "I now live by faith, lean on His presense, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven".
I love you!! Have a great week :)
Love, Hermana Smith
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