Baptism Week!

There really isn't anything greater than going into a week looking toward a baptism at the end of it! And that is what this week is like! Lee who is our Englishman who basically got stuck here in Grenada is getting baptized! He is so excited and has basically read the whole Book of Mormon. He has come so far and has really experienced some spiritual healing. It's been amazing to see! We are really excited for him! We are also looking forward to our baptism burger that is going to follow! I think that Lee might be most excited for that! Ha I have really grown to love that man! 

Whenever I think about him and most of these people here I think about Grandpa Smith's story that he told us about how the one family told him as he was leaving New Zealand, "I'll see you in the Celestial Kingdom, Elder Smith!" That's how I feel a lot of the time because I don't know how much I am going to be able to see these people after my mission. And that's if I get to see them at all. It's a hard thought! To be honest it kinda kills me sometimes. But that's part of the work i guess. And that's why Grandpa's story means a lot to me. Because I was able to be blessed enough to bring these people the gospel we will have a joyous reunion in the Celestial Kingdom.

Lately I have also been thinking a lot about my other Grandpa. I love that man a lot as well. Grandpa Hilton was one of the most quietly influential people in my life. For those who knew him they know that Grandpa wasn't much of a talker. What was his saying, "Why use 8 words to get a message across when you can do it in 7." I think that's it! But anyway that sums up Grandpa perfectly. I truly did learn the power of hard work from Grandpa though. I think of him a lot when it's hot outside and I'm just tired. I know that he is not only their in my thoughts but is there with me. That's what D&C talks about when it says, "Angels round about you to bear you up." I know that he is their. They are organized under the Priesthood in familial order is what Ezra Taft Benson teaches. I know that I will see him again. It will all be alright in the end!

I love you all! The church is true! And as Grandpa would say, "You're good kids, we'll see ya later!"

With Love, 

Elder Smith

Seems Like Yesterday!

Elder Smith had zone conference on Monday, so we had to wait until today for his email!  I am so proud of this kid and love every email and every experience!

Well this week I had the opportunity to go back to Barbados and it was so good! I also got to see Elder Christensen again and that was just great! I found out that Everett hasn't missed a sunday and is just killing it! So I am way excited about that! I love the Bajan people! They will always have a very special place in my heart! 

This week was a great one though! Lee is killing it! He is doing so well! He has almost quit smoking and has quit drinking on his own basically! I have loved working with him! HE is just about finished with the Book of Mormon and read all the way through a copy of True to the Faith that a member gave him. HE has become one of my best friends! He has come so far since we met him! It seems like yesterday Elder Leany and I were introduced to that short little Englishman! Ha he is great though!

I don't have a whole lot to say this week as it was just kind of a typical missionary week. But those are always the best!

Something that I have been noticing a lot lately is the healing power of the Atonement! IT is incredible! And I have never seen it so strongly as I have with Lee. This is a man that has simply been through a lot. I am not going to go into details right now but he has been through a lot! But the amazing thing is that as he reads and learns more he is healed. It is incredible to witness! Through it all Lee has been able to continually learn and see that the Lord is always there and that He heals us! I know this is true because I have continually been healed by the Savior. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and if we turn to Him and we let Him, He will never leave us alone. We can and will be healed.

With Love,

Elder Smith

"Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path...Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are."

Jeffrey R Holland

Well, dip me in salt and call me Porky!

I am sure that you are a little bit confused by the subject line today so let me explain! This week was transfers and we had 2 brand new missionaries come in. They are wonderful! Very excited and will do great! But anyway, Elder Bingham and I had to pick them up late thursday night so we decided that we were going to play a little joke. We switched our name tags so I was Elder Bingham for the night. So I was cracking Elder Bingham jokes and he was breaking out Elder Smith jokes but anyway, Elder Bingham is from La Verkin, Utah (Small town next to hurricane, utah) And so I always say that he is from this hick town because you know, I am from the Northern Utah Metropolis of Brigham City. So the entire night I am doing my best Elder Calhoun impersonation! Ha it was great! But anyway the missionaries came out and I was like, (Elder Bingham and I planned this) " Well dip me in salt and call me Porky! My name's Elder Bingham!" But I said ham like the meat. Ha and then I went on about how we're just thrilled to have them here. I also told some stories about wrestling pigs and stuff but it was great. Then we switched back name tags and they were kinda confused but it was great! It was clean fun! Ha we have great missionaries here though! We are really excited!

We had a crazy week but we were able to work some more with Lee and he is really excited for his date! we are going to keep teaching him and he is going to be a great member!

This week was kind of uneventful but we are really excited for another transfer! It is going to be great! 

We have been blessed to get to know a lot of the members at dinner appointments and it has been great! We had Pizza at the Davies last night and it was great! I think I am going to try and set Korver up with their 5 year old daughter! Ha so that's going to be my project a couple of years down the road!

Yesterday one of the new med students who I have gotten to know really well shared a story about how he worked until the very last second on his mission so that he could know that he gave all he could. He then shared with us the scripture that motivated him to do that. It's Enos 1; 26-27 and it says:  "And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.

And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen."

I want to feel this way at the end of my mission and the end of my life. My grave is getting closer and closer as far as my mission life goes and so I am going to do all I can so that I can rejoice in the day that I account to the Lord for my mission and eventually my life. Because I have rejoiced in the gospel above that of the world.

With Love,

Elder Smith

When an AP calls.......

So this week we got our transfer calls. So let me just explain to you what went down... So it was saturday at about 6 and we were at the church waiting for our Temple Fireside to start and we get a call from the Assistants. So Elder Bingham answered it and he talked for a little while and then with a sad look on his face he hands me the phone.. It's Elder Christensen (MTC Comp) We talk for a while about the good old days and then I told him to just tell me where I'm going and to just rip it off like a band aid. Then he proceeds to tell me that and I quote "Since you've been good and Elder Bingham says that you haven't tried to jump on to the top bunk. We're going to let you stay in Grenada!" I was so excited! So I am breaking the pattern and I get to stay for a next transfer! I'm going to have at least 4! I am so happy! Also we are going to the Bados for Zone conf in a couple weeks so I am stoked for that!

This week was so wonderful! We are still working with Lee and he is doing great! He has a baptism date for the 21st of March! He is really looking forward to it! We are stoked for him! 

We are still working with Dan's friend Shenard and he is doing great! He knows that everything is true and he really wants to be baptized! He is sweet! I can't wait until him and Dan are on missions! That will be so cool! 

We also had Ciel's Baptism! He was so excited and he bore his testimony! It was a really neat experience! His dad was so happy! That is so cool because now their whole family are members and so we are going to work with them and are going to try to get them to the temple! Families are truly ordained of God!

We had a really neat temple fireside this saturday and some of the Med students spoke! It was such a spiritual meeting! I also got to sing and that was cool to be able to take part in that! My favorite part was probably when the Deangelo's spoke on eternal marriage! It was so great to hear their story! I would type it up but that just wouldn't do it justice! It is a good one! But my favorite part was towards the end Bro. Deangelo had his wife come stand by him and she was holding their daughter and he said, "The fact that I can be with my girls for eternity makes me the happiest man in the world." That was so cool. They both spoke so well on that and it was just neat! It also got me thinking on what Bro Burt said at a fireside. He said, "Make sure you have a temple marriage and not just a temple wedding." The covenants are what make the difference and if we don't do everything to keep those then, quite frankly we miss the boat. I love you all! Have a great week!

With Love,

Elder Smith

"The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage that can endure beyond death. Fidelity to a temple marriage does that. It allows families to be together forever."

Russell M Nelson

 DAN'S BAPTISM

PET LIZARD THAT LIMES (LIVES?) IN THE BATHROOM!:)

Wrong Roads

SO, I AM A WEEK BEHIND BECAUSE I WAS ON VACATION, SO I WILL POST 2 THIS WEEK!:)--Shanna Smith

This week was an interesting one and we learned a lot! It was a good week though!

We are teaching a super cool kid named CL! He is a members 9 year old son who is brilliant and he is getting baptized this Wednesday! So we are really excited about that! He is doing great!

We also have been getting fed by a lot of members lately and it has been so neat! These people are the salt of the earth! I have been so blessed just to get to know them!

So here is the learning experience. We had been focusing a lot of effort in finding in an area this transfer that hasn't led to much and we had some rough days there this week. We had found there on tuesday and we were able to meet some people and set up appointments for the next day. So we took Matthew Charles to teach with us on tuesday because he is a fantastic member missionary and we were teaching some people close to his age. So we thought it would be good! So we go to teach this guy in his 50's who was pretty cool the day before and we show up and he is so drunk! I mean he couldn't walk or speak! It was nuts! So we were just like, "We'll come back a next day." Then we go to see some other people and nothing! So I was just like, "You've got to be kidding me!" And so we decided to go to another area  and try there and immediately found success. So the Lord certainly spoke on that one! 

I am excited to continue to just work hard this week! I don't have much more to share this week but the Lord knows us and knows what we need! I know that He always puts us where we need to be! I love the Lord. I am going to do my best to help others find that peace that I have found! I love you all! Have a great week!

With Love, 

Elder Smith

"Sometimes in response to prayers, the Lord may guide us down what seems to be the wrong road—or at least a road we don’t understand—so, in due time, He can get us firmly and without question on the right road. Of course, He would never lead us down a path of sin, but He might lead us down a road of valuable experience. Sometimes in our journey through life we can get from point A to point C only by taking a short side road to point B. We had prayed that we could make it safely home that day, and we did."

Matthew Holland

Independence Week!

Normally you have Independence Day as a holiday to celebrate your Independence! But here I think they legitimately have Independence week! It was just partying like crazy the entire week! It was crazy! But anyway this week we had a really good week!

So we were able to work with Dan this week and we are now teaching his boxing training partner, Shenard! He is a boss! He is going to be baptized on the 7th of March! He has such amazing desires and it is so great to teach him! Dan is doing great as well! One of my favorite parts of this week was when he told us that the main reason he got baptized was because of his older brother Matthew. He talked about how he saw a change in him and that he wanted to follow his example. It was so cool to hear that! Now it's really neat to see Shenard want to follow Dan's example. It is incredible!

We are also meeting and working a lot with Janice (Our Less Active) and guess what, she referred us to her friend, Sharon! How about that! One Grandma referring us to the other. But anyway I just thought that was funny! We have met alot of cool people by working with Janice! We just need to get her activated again since she could be just as powerful as Dan and Matthew!

I must say though that the most heart warming moment of my entire week came from some med students, the Deangelo's. (I hope that was spelled right) But anyway we were talking with Sister Deangelo one night and she asked us how much we get fed and if we needed food and we were like, "No we're doing alright." She then told us that if we ever needed any then we needed to let her know. So we said we would and thanked her and that was it. Then a couple days later we ran into Brother Deangelo and he was like, "My wife wants to feed you guys once a week. Even if we just drop it off at your apartment she wants to do it once a week." We were speechless and didn't know what to say! He told us to pick a day and that they would do it. So we chose tuesday and so last tuesday night at 9 o'clock at night right before we were going to head in the Deangelo's pulled up and gave us dinner. Now keep in mind that they also have a daughter who is only a couple of months old. They gave us the food and I was almost in tears because they cared enough to give their time to serve us. I was so humbled. But people like the Deangelos are the salt of the earth. And thankfully I have lots of them in my life. But I just wanted to share that with you. It touched me alot. And always remember that you never know how much the smallest act of kindness will effect those people. I love you all! Continue to love and serve and the Lord will bless you! Don't let the salt lose it's savor!

With Love,

Elder Smith

"The Lord hears their cries and feels your deep compassion for them, He has from the beginning of time provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with Him in serving others."

Henry B Eyring

Dan/Don got baptized!

We had a pretty good week this week and we were able to see a lot of miracles. We were able to baptize Matthew Charles brother, Dan and he is amazing! So first off we were told that his name was Don, so that's we called him. That's what everyone called him! Even Matthew! (Crazy Caribbean accent) But then we get to the baptism on saturday and then they tell us that his name is actually Dan. So yeah, that was weird. But anyway the sisters were teaching him and passed him off to us and had told him he could get baptized this week and so it was now our job to get it done. So we went to meet with him and realized he was super prepared but he hadn't been taught much. So over the next couple of days we taught him just about everything. It was so cool to see the spirit work on him as we taught him a ton and he was able to take it all in! We also got to be there when he prayed to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet. That was so neat! The spirit was so strong! The baptism was neat because Matthew baptized him. He was just so prepared! We were able to take him teaching yesterday and he is fantastic and really converted! He is like a quiet version of Matthew! He will make a great missionary someday!

The Members are doing great! They are super supportive and yesterday, President Stewart challenged everyone to give us at least one referral. The members are really catching the Missionary spirit! We are excited!

So yesterday was area conference for the whole Caribbean and we got to hear from President Packer, along with Elder Holland and some others. It was so neat! My favorite part was seeing how in tune they were with what the people need here! Now I don't know when the last time Uncle Boyd came to the Caribbean was but it was really cool to see that through the spirit he was able to deliver a message that was perfect for the needs here! It was also just great to see him. He looks like he is slowing down a little which is sad but it was still great to hear him give a powerful witness of Christ. It's always my favorite part of his talks.

Well I don't have much time but something I have been thinking about a lot is how incredible it is that we have Prophets and Apostles. Men who are called of God to guide us! I sometimes wonder if we sometimes don't fully grasp that! As we told people about the area conference I went around asking people, "Have you heard of Peter, James and John? Well on Sunday you can hear from people just like them!" That is tremendous! I hope we all realize how great that is! I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that ever since that time we have had someone on the earth with the keys to guide that church here. But the beauty of it all is that I know that just as in times of old Jesus Christ is at the head of His church. I love you! Please follow the Prophet!

With Love,

Elder Smith