Hermana Smoot

Hermana Smoot
Hermana Smoot

Monday, December 29, 2014

Week #22 ( Dec 29, 2014) Lots of fun pictures i found on sister Harveys blog!

Hello world!  

How is everyone? I hope  that everyone just had the most amazing christmas  ever! It was an incredible opportunity to be a missionary  on christmas. I missed home a little, but it was so nice just to focus on love and the atonement of our savior jesus Christ. Becuase HE is christmas. 
For christmas  we celebrated it with a family in the ward. They have a big dinner in the night with turkey (that was half frozen....then they had to microwave it...but that´s a story for another day haha.) And then after we  left, they  opened all their  presents after midnight.  On christmas morning we got to open our gifts that we  had from people in the ward and each other and also the  AMAZING package from mom. Thank you so much. Seriously. And we had  to stay in our  house for two days. And I realized that time passes a lot faster when you are working hard. :)
It was so amazing to  talk to you guys this week. You  are all so incredibly supportive and loving. I can´t thank you enough for everything you do for me. It´s amazing to know that I have such a  great support backing  meup.

If there is one thing that I  learned...again...this week it is that of humility. And that really  nothing is possible without it. I think I was feeling a little too confident in my ablities to teach or something and I wasn´t relying on the lord. And we tried to teach and I couldn´t feel the spirit and it was a time of frustration. But I  realized that heavenly father was giving me a little nudge and giving me an opportnity  to learn. I know that I am nothing  without the lord, but with  the lord we can be incredible and "boast of our god." I love this work so much. And there are days that are incredibly hard and your companion steps on your  glasses and you just feel like crying...but looking back, we learn so much. And  with faith  in the lord, all of the little things aren´t important. And we can do everything with Him.

Thank you again so much for everything. there  are not enough thank yous to say for  everything you have done. I wish you all love and happiness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Happy new year. And happy anniversary yesterday mom and dad!!

Love, Hermana Smoot
P.S. Yes my glasses broke......is there a possibility that you could send new ones? We´ll have to figure that one out. 

PS I  just love   you all. 








Thursday, December 25, 2014

Week # 21 ( Dec 22, 2014) Merry Christmas/FELIZ NAVIDAD y MAs Felicidad.

Ok. I´m just so happy right now. 

This week was crazy and so incredibly lovely. I just love the mission. And christmas in the mission is actually really lovely. And everyone tries to make is special. For example, we had an activity with 2 other zones and the president and his wife. We ate together an put on skits and then we all went to this big plaza in downtown puerto montt and SANG christmas songs. (And they let me sings a solo/duet and it felt way to good to be in front of a microphone. way too good.) But really. Christmas is so amazing and we have been still been singing for everyone and their dogs to bring te spirit. At doors and on the street and for all! 

But there are things in the mission, aside all that is beautiful, that are so incredibly hard that your heart just feels like it´s going to explode.
Names have been changed.
This week I learned so much of the grace an mercy an love of our savior Jesus Christ. The other day we went to the Lopez house.  We were always excited to teach this family, especially the father, Javier.  When we went in, he wasn´t there and when we asked his family they told us that he had been drinking. I honestly couldn´t believe it. And I thought it was a joke. But it was true. And at the end of our lesson with them, Javier came down the stairs, a little bit drunk still, with tears in his eyes and the deepest remorse in his face. When we left I was heartbroken. He is baptized and he already stopped drinking. He was always our hope. The person who we could count on to do his reading and to come to church. Someone with a testimony. Someone who changed. How could this happen. But I was studying the next morning the talk that Elder Packer gave on the Hope of christ this conference. And I realized that everything I new about starting over and clean slates applied more than ever. The power and hope of the atonement of jesus christ stretche beyond all  bounds of comprehension. He can start over. Even if he has already changed and been forgiven. We all make mistakes and no matter how big the fall, we always more forward and upward with the light of christ. 
I know with all my heart that this church is true. And the our savior directs it. I hope that this christmas we can not only remember that perfect quiet baby in bethlehem, but that we can remember the savior and redeemer who suffered for each one of us so that we can live a life of happeness. Free of guilt and pain. And eventually return to our father through him.
I love  you ALL!! Merry Christmas.

Love Ally


PS we are going to have christmas with a family in the ward. And here it´s the night before that is huge. Where they eat and open all the gifts at midnight

PPS I gave my first talk and spanish! Woohoo. That was interesting. But good overall. Also, english is really hard now. 
Feliz Navidad! del Trio. Hna Bretòn, Hna Harvey y Hna Smoot!

Also, fed a goose. It was great.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Week #20 (Dec. 15, 2014)

Hello Everyone!

Oh my goodness, being a missionary is so lovely. Really. It´s like I´m so tired and my body hurts and there is no time to rest, but I´m super happy. 

This week FLEW by and I´m sorry that I never have a ton of details. The days just go by so fast! Being in a trio is way too fun. There are a lot of ideas and it´s takes a little longer to get out the door with three girls. (wlecome to my entire life) But it is so fun. And we work A LOT! We´ve been really focusing this week in people that are really going to progress in the work. And therefore we have stopped teaching a lot of people that have been investigating for ever and don´t want to make decisions. It´s sad at times because everyone is a child of god and everyone will benefit from living the gospel, but it´s just not their time. One of the hardest facts to face on the mission is that everyone has their agency and we can only do so much. But in the process of this, we have been able to find amazing families! For example, we contacted a man and his son in the street and set up an appointment to visit them. And when we went, we met his wife, who is so kind and was talking about how she was really excited to recieve our message and we were all giddy inside the whole time. And they are going to be baptized and live forever as a family I just know it. 

Also, we  have really been taking advantage of La Navidad! As we knock on doors and they don´t want anything, we just say we want to sing a hymn for them. And then they listen and take our little cards and are super receptive. Also it´s super fun. Music is a miracle. 

This life is so beautiful. I´m so glad that I´m learning to enjoy life, even when there is so much to do and so much to think about and to stress about. I know with all of my heart that this chruch is true and when we excersize our faith and LIVE the gospel, we will be happy. Enjoy life here in the beautiful world, becuase we are here "that we might have JOY!" No se preocupe, sea Feliz!

MUchisimo amor,

Hermana Smoot

PS It´s really hard to speak in english. I never thought this day would come. Please excuse my grammer. Ashley, I have no idea how all your letters were so beautifully written. I can´t think of any words. ;)
xoxoxo. Disfrute la vida. 

LAs Tres! MY TRIO COMPANIONSHIP!
Hna Bretón y Hermana Harvey
 

Adorable kittens from one of the families in the ward.

Week # 19 (December 8, 2014) Trio time!

New Companions-A TRIO! 
Hna Harvey ( from California)  
Hna Breton (from Dominica Republic)

Hello my dear loved ones!!!

There is never enough time to say everything that has happened ESPECIALLY this week. But in short I have new companions!!!!! WOOOT. And we are a lovely little trio. There aren´t enough hermanas in the mission this cambio, so we are 3 now. The sector of Hna Harvey (the hermana from the CCM that was training at the same time and was in the other sector next to ours) and Hna Breton from Dominican Republic are my new comps and our sectors COMBINED. So now we have a GIANT area and millions of investigadores and people to find. At first it was very very difficult. Not going to lie. After Hna Figuerdo left (tears of sadness) I was basically given responsiblity to remember all the people we have to teach and where everyone lives and what I have to do and......responsibitlies... And I was scared and I´m still a really new missionary. Even though I´ve been her for a while. But through all of it, and a lot of prayer we have been able to do it. And I know that when we humble ourselves, the lord will help us. He is there to help us progress and learn through our trials. We just have to trust him. 
But apart from the added stress, I´m having WAY too much fun. Having three people is so much fun. We just laugh and talk and enjoy ourselves too much. And for example, last night we had singing lessons and I sang one of my old musical theatre songs for them. And the Hermana Harvey said "I wanna Act!" So we burst out in "a few of my favorite things" from sound of music. And it was absolutely hilarious. We are also working super hard as well. Hna Breton is a DOER. But a doer with a smile on her face and the intention to enjoy her time. So we are having fun and talking to every person we can find and doing the work of the lord and it is beautiful. So en fin, I just want to say that even when there is so much to do, and when we feel like we can´t do it, PRAY and the lord will lighten our burdens. And then enjoy your life. We only get one and it is ¨that we might have joy¨ 

You are all so beautiful and lovely and I love all of you SO MUCH: 

Que estén MUY bien. xoxox
Chao! 

Love,
Hna Smoot



Baptism de Guillermo from last week!!! He is amazing! Next step temple with ALL the fam.
This one just shows his happy face better. With our papita. Hno Leon. 
Volcan Osorno. We went with all the missionaries!!

Be jealous.


Monday, December 1, 2014

week # 18 (Dec. 1, 21014) Baptisms and Cambios!!

Hola familia!

I wish I had more time to write becuase this week was ridiculously full of work and miracles. But I´ll just focus on the most important.

I finished my training yesterday, and I know I still have SO MUCH to learn. There was a moment this week where I really didn´t know if I could do everything and lead our sector and be responsible for so many souls. But as I fell to my knees I told my heavenly father that I knew I was here for some reason. I have my own talents and heavenly father wants me here for some reasn. But I need help. Although I didn´t actually recieve that sudden peace and tranquility that everyone talks about, I did recieve an answer. Becuase at the end of that day, after I pushed myself out the door and worked hard, we had two new investigators and saw so many miracles. Becuase when we put our trust in him, he can trust us!

We had our baptism with Hermano Guillermo!! This whole experience with him has been a miracle. A full blown miracle. Now his whole family are members. His family has been investigating the church for a long time. His wife was baptized when she was really little and was inactive when the other sisters started visiting them. All three of their kids were baptized in the last year and the dad, who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the church, was baptized by his son (who is now going to serve a mission) yesterday. It was all very emotional and so utterly beautiful. I can´t describe the feeling of love and peace that I felt as he went under the water. He hugged his son after he came up and they were both weeping. We got to talk to them later that day and something was different in their home. And he is ready to perseverar hasta el fin. Endure to the end. He has such a strong testimony of the atonement and their next step is the TEMPLE to be seal FOREVER!!!! The gospel is such and incredibly beautiful thing and really, REALLY changes lives. 
I don´t have more time, but I challenge everyone to LIVE the gospel. Learn to understand it and follow the commandments. Your life will change! It´s in the small things. :)

I love you all!!!!!!!

Love,
Hermana SMoot

ps sending pics next week!!



I asked Ally some questions: 
How is your companionship? How are your living conditions? Do you have what you need? 
How is the language going Ally?  Does your comp speak english? Do you just speak Spanish all the time now ?

How are the fleas? Did you end up getting flea colars or what is working? How is that oil from avon?

Did you get some recipes? Let me know of regular veggies, meat and fruit that you have access to and we can come up and find more recipes for you. 

Ally: 
My companion is the most amazing human ever. She doesn´t know english...more or less...and yes i´ve been speaking spanihs for a solid 3 months. (baptism by fire).

Fleas actually aren´t a problem anymore. and the avon oil totally work. People say it´s worse in the summer (now is summer...it´s opposite...but I think I´m fine.

It´s hard to say. Meat is expensive, but sometimes I buy it. I eat a lot of oatmeal. Eggs, rice. What I really want is excersices that I can understand and i can do in 15 to 20 minutes.  I love you so much.

Also, MY PACKAGE CAME!. bUT I´m not going to open it until christmas. I love you. Any recipes and Ideas for easy quick meals would be great. The thing from ashley was amazing. I love you so flipping much!!!!!!!

*****SO IF ANY OF YOU NICE PEOPLE OUT THERE HAVE ANY WORKOUTS AND/OR EASY MEAL RECIPES OR IDEAS ALLY IS ASKING FOR THEM. Just email her! She is able to print them or takes pictures of them. xoxoxo