letter from April 19 - a little late

MOM!!!!

Hey, Mom. I haven't asked anyone about the mother's day call becasue I am too scared to ask about skype. I like the simple life and since I have no idea how to use or explain skype, I have fear of the unknown. You can thank Kate for inviting me to her wedding. I'll try to make it to one of the receptions but it is a little iffy if I'll get there on time. President Chavez is leaving next cambio. I did not realize that until this week. He is such an amazing president. I'm sure the next one will be just as amazing. They are both equally called by the Lord.

It hasn't really started to rain here yet. I was looking at boots here and they are about 80 - 120 US dollars for good boots that won't slip (there are a lot of hill in my sector). So I wouldn't mind if you could send those white ones if they have good grip on the sole.

I got your package. Thanks for sending puro chocolate y cosas para darme calor!!! When I opened up my chocolate wool package, I was truly happy. Thnkas to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday!! (Cynch, Grandma Rater, Aubrey, Mike, Jeannie, Jessica, etc.) I will try to write you all back before my mission ends but I can't make any promises.

The work is awesome here in Santa Sabina. The ward is really big (about 150 people each Sunday) so it is a lot more like the wards in the states than in San Carlos. We are trying to work better with the members so if anyone has any ideas I would welcome any of them. Right now we are working on using their help in lessons with our investigators but ideally it would be great if they could trust us enough to invite us to teach their friends and loved ones. (I just read about that in Preach My Gospel chapter 9, it was good to read about how it could be).

I am trying to prepare myself as much as I can for the next cambio. I will need to lead off all the lessons and do most of the talking starting in 2 weeks. My companion Hermana Carzoli is REALLY helpful in all of that. Giving me the chance to start of and extend commitment invitations and all. I still feel like I have a long way to go but I know that I have been called by the Lord and that He doesn't make mistakes. He will help me prepare for whatever He requires of me.

Mom, I hope everything turns out all right with your trip to Europe and your flight. Don't feel like you are lacking something without my German. I can't remember hardly anything. That was 3 semesters of college well spent. I hope I can review and bring it all back after my mission but until them I am useless when it comes to German. or French. or English for that matter. Oh yeah. And Spanish. Yep, got nothing. I'm so close to being quadligual (?) but so very, very far.

I bought a coat here so no need to worry about that. But it is grey so if you happen to have any cute patches or decorations I could put on it that would be cool. Not that anyone will see in under my raincoat....

We have a lot of great investigators that are reading and praying. For a lot of them in is difficult to get to church on Sundays. Not because of their circumstances necesarily but because they haven't felt the need to go. They don't understand the connection between sacrificing on their part so that they can receive an answer from God. Some people don't want an answer and others just don't want to do the work. But there are people who want to listen and who want to find out if our message really is true.

Something I love about the message of the Restoration is that is so bold.

Basically this church is the only church that has the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness and the only church that has the authority of God to act in His name and perform sacred ordinances of salvation (baptism, confirmation, etc.)

OR

It is all just a great big fabrication. A giant lie that has tricked millions of people. If it isn't true at least it tricked them into living happy lives.

So that's what I like. The message is bold and the invitation is for everyone. I am confident that no one can prove the church isn't true. No one can prove that is true either. The same can be said about God. He just doesn work that way. But passing up this great opportunity to say "I KNOW this is the true and living church of God because I have recieved a personal witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that I cannot deny " or "I KNOW this is a load of crap because I have recieved a burning conviction that it is a load of bull" would be a mistake. Everyone should at least try. What could you lose? Nothing, maybe a little pride, but that never hurt anyone to lose some of that. And we can get off the fence. Fence sitters are wishy washy and usually end up having to see a stickologist in the end so the sooner we get off the fence the better. Rant is over.

Whoops. Anyway, love you all!!!!

love,

Hermana Smith