Week #72 (Dec. 14, 2015) Animo ( mood, spirits, encouragement, purpose, intention)

WOW.

This week was SO cool. Mainly because Elder Teixeira from the Seventy came to Pto Montt to talk to the missionaries. IT. WAS. the best. ever. We left that meeting literally wanting to baptize EVERYONE. I feel so humbled to be able to be a sister leader because there was a little meeting with the zone leaders and the STLs where he and his wife gave us special instruction. I don´t know why i was special enough to be there but it was incredible. I feel such a desire to keep repenting and to keep going. Every day i realize more and more the importance of what we do as missionaries. We are just praying to keep up the enthusiasm to do the work. Which is actually a very difficult task being a human being. We get tired and discouraged. A lot. But Heavenly Father recognizes that our hearts really do want to do the best we can.

I was talking to my companion, hermann Wyatt who is like the Gandalf of my mission in all of her wisdom. Seriously I love her. She finishes her mission this week and it has been such a blessing being with her. She gives me so much advice and more than anything just teaches by example. We were talking about christmas the other day. I have really been trying to think about something special i can do for christmas. Some sort of service project or something. And she told me that really it will be a special christmas. Even if we spend the whole day knocking doors or if President says we have to stay inside or if we do a big service project. It will be special becuase we are giving it to the lord. I really liked that. And pray to remember it during christmas and after. 

As my companion leaves, we got news that I will be with a BRAZILIAN. That means living with 3 latinas. Latin American missionaries. Chau english. haha. It´s fine!  I´m really excited though and know that all will be well. 

I really love you all SO much. You are all the best and most supported family ever. I pray for you always and wish you the BEST week ever.  :)

Love you,

Hermana Smoot

Week # 71 (Dec. 7, 2015) Christmas and attitude.

Hello loved ones.

It´s so funny how much you can change in a week. Heavenly father just makes us grow so much in all the little things that we do. I´m so excited about christmas! We got a little tree and our new christmas pass along cards that we are sharing with EVERYONE we see. Except for those that dont celebrate christmas. 

LOOK UP THE VIDEO IF YOU HAVEN¨T ALREADY. (A savior is born) (Funny side story, we kept contacting people in the street and handing out the cards and all of the sudden we talked to this lady who said, "I´m jehovas witness and i don´t celebrate christmas. Then she chewed us out for not following the bible. We walked away chuckling a bit and then about 10 minutes later we asked another guy, "Hey can we give you a card about christmas?" and he said "I´m jewish, i don´t celabrate christmas. Bye." Ok fine christmas haters. We got a good laugh out of it though. :) 

I think the biggest lesson I learned this week came from an inspired companion that told me an experience that changed my whole outlook on my mission. I got really tired this transfer. But REALLY tired. Tired in a lot of different ways, not just physically. I just felt like I´d been working so hard for so long and my battery was running really low. I went a few weeks like that, trying really hard but just dragging. And finally one day while we were planning I just couldn´t feel the spirit and couldn´t make decisions and just felt like a zombie. But my companion (who finishes her own mission in 2 weeks) told me a story that really helped me about 2 different missionaries. The were both great missionaries. And worked hard. One of them however, her last transfer was really tired. And let that overtake her. Every day she told her companion just how tired she was. How she was so utterly exhausted. How much she had given. How much her body hurt. And that she just couldn´t any more. And she ended her mission, but ended up wishing those last 6 weeks away. The other missionary was tired too. Really tired. and ended as a trainer. But she did everything in her power to focus on other people. To never dwell on her exhaustion or her problems. But to always look on other people. And she ended well and satisfied with the work she did. I thought about that good and hard after she told me. And i realized that, like we always say, happiness is a choice. Sometimes that choice is a lot harder than we´d like, but it´s always possible. I´ve tried really hard this week to implement that into my life this week. To really try to think of others. And more importantly to think about the atonement. Christ was much more tired that I will ever be during his mortal ministry. I can choose to be happy about my circumstances and choose to focus myself in others. It´s been incredible to do it this week. And i really haven´t been perfect. And i´ve still had moments of exhaustion. And hard and frustrating things have still happened. But i feel energized in a really cool way. I think i´m finally beginning to understand that attitude really does determine altitude.

Sorry for all my rants. Andres the guy we found in the phone is doing well. He hasn´t accepted a baptismal date yet becuase he has SO many doubts. He´s a very proof based person. But we are praying and fasting that he will find an answer to be able to make that covenant with god and recieve a remission of his sins. Ah. What a blessing that is. 

I really love you all. If you haven´t had the chance to watch the Christmas devo, it was amazing. Remember christ this year and everything that he did for you. My comp and her family have a cool tradition where they write down something they are going to sacrifice or do better for christ. The write it down and put it under the tree and it´s the first gift they open. I INVITE you guys to do it. :) 

Sorry these thoughts are all over the place. Know that i really do love all of you and I´m deeply grateful for the love and kindness and caring that you have given me. I wish you the very best week!

LOVE,

Hermana Smoot

PS. I want to ask all of you if you could try not to mention the time i have left in the mission or what might happen after. I know being trunky is a choice but hearing about it doesn´t help very much. Help a poor missionary wouldnt ya? haha thank you!

Pics!

Our 3 dollar christmas tree and a ginger candle. YUM. #slybyupride

Remember Hna Harvey?! (the trio last year) Old compy. We had a little get together with 6 other sisters today. Pizza! (that one´s only christmasy for our family haha)

Week # 70 (Nov. 30, 2015) For all of you who like math!

Hello one and all!
First, thank you all for writing Hermana Terceros! She LOVED it and will write next week. 

It´s hard to describe in a few paragraphs everything that happens in a week....so i´m just going to write some things that happened...

1. I got sick again....the weather here is ridiculous. BUT we still saw a bunch of amazing miracles even if we weren´t outside every single day

2. We found 2 new families!! Which is a huge miracle becuase, well, the investigator pool had become a small puddle and i was going to die if one more contact didn´t want to know any more. One was just a lady we found in the street who was in a hurry and gave us her address. We called her and set an appointment and when we went she was super interested and her kids understood the apostasy. It was weird and super awesome. Her name is Nadia. We also started working with another family who is searching for the truth and she thinks that what we do is incredible. She invited us over and told us to pray that her husband can be home the next time becuase he´s always really busy. It´s just beautiful to be able to see some of the seeds started to grow up. 

3. We found Marianela! I was becoming ver very worried. She went north for some medical problems, and was gone for about a week and a half, and came back with a load of questions and doubts. And is not sure she wants to be baptized right now. But she is willing to keep reading and praying. It´s something she really really wants, but is just so unsure now. I´m praying so hard that she can get her answer.

4. Also, on friday we had an activity (TOTAL flop) and started frantically calling everyone, including old investigators whose contact was in the phone. And we ended up setting up a whole bunch of appointments. One of then was Andres who told us to come to his house the next day. We went and he has obviously talked to a lot of missionaries and always had a lot of questions and doesn´t really understand the need of baptism. But it´s been about 9 months since they went to his hous. We had a little example of dispensations that looks like little hills and he said it looked like waves and started talking math terms. So I had a thought (SPIRIT) to compare baptism to math. Or basically like god has set terms or a formula that we all need to follow to go back to live with him. And sometimes the formula is super difficult and we don´t want to do the arithmatic or figure it out. But the best solutions come from it. And baptism is the only formula to get the solution. I explained it better (SPIRIT) but it was cool becuase he finally got it and came to church yesterday. We are going to give him a baptismal date this week (hopefully!)

I know that God loves us SO SO much. He gives us the good the bad the ugly and the incredible just to show how much he loves us. And sometimes life is like math. And it´s really hard, but when one problem is finally solved and miracles come, it´s oh so sweet. I love you all so much!! Have a beautiful week!

Love,

Hermana Smoot

I made a beautiful pie for thanksgiving. We eat a ton of meat and potatos every day so that part wasn´t necessary....

I made a beautiful pie for thanksgiving. We eat a ton of meat and potatos every day so that part wasn´t necessary....

We decorated the bul. board with a less active and another sister to help him get involved! Adorable.

Knocking.....and dogs...... they were SO big. AND fleas....

look how patriotically chilean this is. 

Week # 69 (Nov 23, 2015) How is it already Thanksgiving?

Hello one and All!

Thank you all so much for the support and love. I really don´t deserve all the kind words that I recieved. :) This week was much better in the sense of my attitude and mood. And we reached the standard of exellence in our mission for contacts. I think thats one of the only times i´ve done it so, go us! I can´t really even remember what happened this week, the time goes by so quickly. We had two companion exchanges; one with a brazilian new missionary who is adorable and gave me more enthusiasm to work and the other with a chilean who is adorable and is really good at not rambling and saying exactly what people need to hear. It´s something that a lot of missionaries do not have (me) and I want to get better. My companion is amazing and is helping me so much to be the best i can be and be super focused in right now. And not worry about what is going to happend after or about my career or about all the things that come after these few short months. We talked about how we have to focus on now or we will begin to just wish away the future. It´s definitely easier said than done but i hope to learn it well and make it a lifestyle. 

We had a fun adventure this week. The nurse called us at roughly 9:30 as we were running to our house saying that one of the sisters had fractured her ankle and we had to go be with her in the hospital in pto montt. So a million and a half calls later, a member helped us get there and we stayed the night with some other sisters that lived there. It was amazing how smoothly everything went seeing has it was a last minute not planned at all situation. Heavenly father really is in charge. Sometimes i find myself so worried about all the small stuff, but if i just stay calm, trust and do what I can, Heavenly Father always provides. And it´s always just fine in the end. #eternalperspective haha.

We had some complications with Marianela.....meaning we can´t find her. Literally. But we are praying that everything is ok. And hoping for the best. We gave her a little heart attack on her door just to show her we love her. There is power in just a few gestures of love. 

Sorry this letter is all over the place. I know god lives. The gospel is true. The book of mormon is amazing and is the word of god. I´m so grateful for my testimony and for all of you. And this time I have in southern chile. I hope all of you the best. Be well.

Love,

Hermana Smoot

Hermana Wyatt and I

Raining.....and raining. This is the life.

My tape ready compy

Our lovely view on the hills we get to walk up

Week # 68 (nov. 19) Esperanza (HOPE)

I wish i had had Aunt Vicki this week chanting, "We can do hard things!" Becuase this week was just that. Very hard. And i think I learned and grew more in one concentrated period of time than I have for a while now. I think, more than anything i learned a lot about the nature of my heavenly father and how he works to make us into what we need to be. And what he needs us to be for him.

Friday the 13th (ridiculously ironic) was one of the most difficult days I think I´ve had here. It may have just felt like that in the moment. But it was. This whole week was just full of walking....and walking...and putting forth every drop of effort to recieve....nothing. Then after a week of that friday rolled around and after a frustrating lunch with a member and trying to figure out a map for our sector (don´t even ask) I thought after so many downs, God would give us a really good lesson with some investegators that we were going to visit who were AWESOME. Like chosen, searching for the truth awesome. Because that always happens, after the bad, comes the good. So we went and lo and behold, the dad comes out with his book of mormon saying they aren´t prepared and don´t want to continue more. I turned away kind of in denial and shock and then within 5 minutes I started crying as we are talking to a woman at her door and then I just sat down on a swing and the water works came out. I just didn´t understand why it was so hard. And i was SO so so tired. It all just came crushing down. I think the only word to descibe would be hopeless. It just felt like there was no way out and even when this day was over, more bad things were just going to happen. I´m sure at one point in our lives, we´ve all felt a little like that. My heart just felt so heavy and worn completely out. But our loving heavenly father, in my lowest of lows sent gaurdian angels in a time when i needed it most. A time where i felt tired of being the hope and help that evryone else needed. The messenger needed the message...my companion sat down with me and we rested and instead of a scripture, read me the quote from Lord of the Rings when Frodo just can´t anymore and sam is there to say that there is still good in the world. When i calmed down enough to stand up and go get something to eat, a man in the store was super friendly with us and bought me a little chocolate. As we walked to our totally destroyed plans we found a couple that thanked us for our service and told us how brave we were and how impressed they were with all the hard work we were doing. And finally another contact saw us and started talking to us about his life. He´s lived in Jersey for 5 years and spoke to us in his broken chilean-jersey english about christ. And in a random street in the south of chile, i was given peace. he talked about how christ will never lave us even if we leave him, how christ is there even in the darkest of times. Even when we can´t see it. He is there. He is hope. I was almost moved to tears with the simplicity of his words. And as we turned away to go home, I´ll admit that i didn´t feel a sudden surge of energy nor a flodding burning feeling of happiness. My heart still felt heavy and exhausted. But i felt peace. And gratitude that my heavenly father sen angels to his missionary that is always sent to everyone else. I was amazing at the love and how involved our heavenly father is in every detail of our lives. And i´ll admit that even after 8 hours of sleep, the next day was still hard and a few tears were still shed. But little by little, prayer by prayer, i was able to see more and more light. Feel more peace, more hope. It´s just so funny how god works sometimes. After so much bad i expected some miracle to chenge everything around. An amazing day where everyone lets us in and the sun shines and the choir sings. And He is totally capable of that. But it didn´t happen that way. He gave me small and simple seeds of hope, exercising my faith, and patience and humility and letting me figure it out. What i know is that GOD LOVES US. More than we can understand. That is why there is bad in the world and that is why there is good. It´s all from him. And we are progressing and learning and becoming things that we can´t imagine. That is why giving up isn´t an option. Like Sam says, I  know Frodo that you can´t do this. But He can carry us. And there is always a little bit of light that´s worth fighting for.

I love you all and i´m doing really really good right now. Actually, we fasted with Marianela and she quit smoking! We´ve got only a few more complications but she should be getting baptized in a couple weeks. Thank you for all of your prayers. I love you so much and wish you all the best week ever!

Love,

Hermana Smoot

Week # 67 ( Nov. 9, 2015) Saving Dogs whilst saving souls

CAMBIOS. Transfers.

Hna Wyatt and me. The SUN is starting to come out

This. Week. Has. Been. So. Long. But so darn lovely. I have a wonderful companion that leaves in December and is doing everything possible to make this the BEST six weeks of her mission. It´s helping me so much to focus. She is basically the best, most obediente human ever. So we are seeing miracles. And coming home So tired But in the best way possible. I am grateful. 

This week was full of news and olds and memories. And some hilariously miraculous situations. First the funny

Once upon a time we were doing contacts and we saw two girls chasing their chubby little dog up the street. And every time they called her name, it would run farther up the street. So we decided to help. And after about 10 minutes of running and chasing, I grabbed her gave her to the girls (thanks Hermana Braithwaite for teaching me to love dogs more than i did before) And we striked up a conversation and got down their information. So, even though knocking on doors is super fun.... there are always MANY ways to find people to teach. Including rescuing puppies. 

I´ve also been introduced to a lot of new responsibilties as a sister trainging leader with trying to catch buses and checking on houses and doing a lot of other things that I hadn´t really thought of. Yesterday, we had to go to a town a 20 minute bus ride from pto. Varas and we were already running super late. So we were going to call the sisters that we were going to meet when i realized i totally forgot the phone in the house. And we had never been to where we were going. So without knowing what to do, we both just said a silent prayer and trusted. We got out and ended up finding a guy who onle a call center and had met a ton of missionaries. He let us use his phone and we were able to meet up with the sisters on time. I´ve had so many experiences like that where i get so stressed out about so many little things that we have to do and the situation just seems impossible. But after prayer, we move forward with faith and it ALWAYS works out. Heavenly father provides a way for situations to have a beneficial outcome. Whether it means what we wanted in the first place, or what he wanted us to learn in the end. 

I´ve been thinking a lot about the will of our heavenly father and just giving everything up to him. Even all the little things that aren´t bad, but in the end don´t help me focus on my purpose. My companion has seemed to really mastered it, even though we are both in the process. But it´s amazing becuase for the past few days we´ve been able to help each other to complete those personal goals. I hope it can continue and I pray for the strength to do it. I´m NOt perfect and never will be but it´s our heart that heavenly father wants. Just the pure desire to do his will and the loyalty that we have to that promise. And then he knows that we will make mistakes becuase that´s part of this moral state that we are in. But we just have to give him our heart. 

Sorry I just keep missionary ranting. Just  know that I love this work and I love all of you. I hope that all of you are trusting in him. The gospel is beautiful and simple and I know it´s true. 

Have the most beautiful week!

Herman Smoot

Also, Puerto Varas es hermoso! (beautiful)

This is blurry but its the fat dog that we saved

Week # 66 ( Nov. 2, 2015) Treasure

A family night while Marianela´s daughters were visiting! She says that we remind her of them. She is adorable.

Oh, ps. I cut my hair and i love it. 

Hello one and all!

This transfer is coming to a close and I can´t really believe it. I know i frequently talk of the time, but it´s just becuase it flies SO fast. 

This next transfer i will be staying her in Pto Varas and my lovely companion Hna Braithwaite is going to llanquihue. (tears. sniff) BUT it´s actually really cool because I was called as Sister training leader and i will be able to have exchanges with her. YES! I´m actually really nervous and excited about the new assignment. Even though i´m nervous to be that example, i know that the lord will qualify me. I´m really working on just being "fiercly loyal" (as Ashley says) to the lord and just do his will. When you are on his team you do what he wants and you see miracles. Even if I´m still very imperfect and quite rough around the edges. We can do this together.

This week was a roller coaster,  but hey, what´s new. :) We had two AMAZING days and 5 not so good ones, but as they always say, I really only remember the good. We had zone conference and are really focusing as a mission to have more faith and the be more spiritual, including a three month reading of the book of mormon. What better way to end the mission? On top of that, we found the coolest people this week. SO prepared. We have been knocking a lot of doors and finally have been finding. There is a family that we found that studied with the Jehova´s Witnesses for a long time but in the end didn´t join. They said that the felt something was missing. The mom, Soledad, said that she knows that there has to be a true church and she is just searching to find it! WHAT since when do people actually say that. They recieved us really well and our message and are going to be praying. They are willing to take the risk.  

Marianela is doing great. She picked a baptismal date for the 28 of November and we are working toward it. I think she is finally getting it in her mind that she can really quit smoking by herself and with god. She is on her way and, as the picture shows, is trying to teach her little girls about it too. :) She humbles me so much.

Can we all just realize how incredible this gospel is. The more I study it and the more that I meet people that don´t have it, the more precious i realize it is. This week our ward took their trip to the temple. Most people here go about once a year and save up for it and take a long weekend, and a 15 hour bus ride to make it there. In testimony meeting a couple stood up and bore fervent testimony of the blessings that they had felt. The sister had gotten baptized a long time ago and her husbad was inactive for a long time. But he became active this last year and they were able to get sealed this weekend. Everyone was in tears to hear that pure testimony. What a blessing we have. A gift. There are literally 10 temples within a couple hours of my house. I hope to take advantage of that when i get home. Take advantage of it now! The gospel is wonderful. We are children of god. We have purpose. Jesus Christ died for us. We can be truely happy. Take a minute to think of all the blessings. :) They aren´t few. I love you all so much and I love my heavenly father. I am grateful for this gospel. To be a missionary. To have really really difficult days so that i can love the good ones. 

....I´m missionary ranting. :) I just can´t help it. 

Have a beautiful week and treasure the knowledge you have. LOVE YOU!!