The Spirit of Happiness

We had a really good week this week and we were able to see so many blessings! Unfortunately We had to move Kelly Ann's baptism because she had some unexpected school stuff come up but she will be in the water soon enough! 

One of my favorite parts of this week was when we were able to have a movie night and watch "Meet the Mormons"! That movie is incredible! I loved it! It was really well done and I love how it covered people from so many different walks of life! It was really cool to see the good there in the world!

We are working with some really cool sisters named, Andra and Endra! (Ha you gotta love the Carribean names!) But anyway they are super cool! Andra loves the Book of Mormon and is doing great at reading it and we are really excited about her progress! They have a baptism date for the 16th of May and are really excited to be baptized by someone that holds the Priesthood authority so that they can experiences those blessings! It's been so great to work with them! We will keep you posted on it!

We also made a cake for Brother Deangelo's birthday and decorated it as well! We started joking that he is our Mom because they take care of us! They are great! I have loved getting to know him as well as other med students! I don't have time to write about all of them but they are amazing! But anyway on the cake we wrote, "Happy Birthday Mom!!!" They got a kick out of it! Ha but that was really fun! I have a pic but the computer here is being funny so I can't send it... Maybe next week!

Something I have also been thinking about a lot is the "Spirit of Happiness" IF you didn't notice by the title. Now I wish to be careful here because this is also something that I have struggled with my fair share but I guess here it goes. I've noticed that in a lot of cases we almost choose to be unhappy. We find something wrong and then whine about it. Now once again I choose to talk about whining because it's something I know a lot about. ;) Now there obviously is adversity in the world but I wonder how much happiness we miss out on because we simply choose to focus on the negative instead of the positive. A quote I love by Elder Holland says, “Speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. … No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse” It really hits you but it's the truth... I also want to be better at finding joy in the Journey. Life is a wonderful thing! Find joy as you go through it! We have so much to be thankful for! Don't miss the little things! I know that "Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy." That's why we're here! To find the Joy that our Heavenly Father has for us! I know that as we look for the blessings around us and the great things in life we will be happier! I love you guys! Have a great week!

With Love,

Elder Rando

“Come what may, and love it.”

Joseph B Wirthlin

"So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial...We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. 'This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,' the Psalmist wrote. 'Rejoice and be glad in it."

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."

Dieter F Uchtdorf

Keep Smilin'!

I loved this week! We got to have the Mehrs and the assistants in and we got to lime with them a little bit and it was just beautiful! I got to decorate Sister Mehr's cake! (The writing was done by yours truly!) And it was a lot of fun! I love meeting with the Mehrs and I just feel like I grow so much every single time! I loved it!

We had a wonderful week that was hard and great at the same time! One of the hardest part was that it was transfer time and so that means saying goodbyes... We had to say goodbye to Elder Naylor on Friday and that was just sad! He has become one of my best friends over the last six months of serving around him! He is a great missionary and somebody that I look up to! I can't wait to hang with him post-mission!

We are really excited though because Kelly Ann is getting baptized! It is super cool because she is 18 years old, about 4 feet tall (slight exaggeration) and good friends with the Smiths in the branch! And so the way that we met her for the first time is through them! One Sunday they just brought her with them to church! How about that! It's like a new missionary idea! ;) But she came and we started meeting with her and she is super smart and super excited! It has been really cool to see her progress and also to see the Smiths get excited! Brother Smith is going to be taking us to his daughter because he wants us to "baptize her!" (His words exactly!) Ha I love the members here!

Lee got an interview for the Aaronic Priesthood and it went well but he said he wanted to wait a couple of weeks because he HATES being in front of people! But he is coming along really well! He is about through 2 Nephi again and is doing great! He loves the Book of Mormon!

I have loved to see people throughout my mission just keep working at things until they finally overcome them because of the enabling power of the atonement! It is incredible to see the Lord make saints of sinners and to truly change lives around! I know that He can! To be honest that is the only way! I imagine most people that have overcome addictions permanently at some point had an acquaintance with the Savior. He heals. That's what He does. I know that we can help others to access this healing power and to keep trying! Lift people up! Be their Angel on this side of the veil! I love you guys! Have a great week!

With Love,

Elder Smith

"God cares a lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than about who we once were. He cares that we keep on trying... My invitation to all of us is to evaluate our lives, repent, and keep on trying. If we don’t try, we’re just latter-day sinners; if we don’t persevere, we’re latter-day quitters; and if we don’t allow others to try, we’re latter-day hypocrites. As we try, persevere, and help others do the same, we are true Latter-day Saints."

Dale G. Renlund

 These are pics from hog island and Conference Weekend and Elder Naylor leaving and a couple with the Ap's from this weekend! :)  The first pic is of a family that Elder Naylor and I contacted and the sisters baptized the wife and are still working with the husband!

Living To See Another Day

Well this is it! We got transfer calls and I am staying for another one here in Grenada! Ha I am so thrown off because I don't stay in areas for this long! This transfer will be my 5th and the longest that I have stayed in an area has been 3 transfers. Ha so this is really crazy! But I am stoked because we have some sweet things going on!

We are really thrilled with the member work that we have been able to get done the last little bit! The Lord has blessed us tremendously with great members! We are basically teaching straight Member Referrals right now and I love it! Member work is the key! I can always tell the difference between a member referral and just somebody that we just find on our own. It is crazy how big of a difference it makes! So that is my call to all of you that are reading this! We need more member missionaries in this work! Something that President Mehr talks about is how the Lord is Hastening His Work! And how He may just be out in front of us! We cannot hold Him back! So it's our job to hasten the work with Him so that He doesn't have to wait on us! Something that Elder Cornish also said to us is that "The Lord may just expect more from us." It's a hard truth sometimes but a truth nonetheless! He may just want us to accomplish more! So keep that in mind as you go throughout the day and are bombarded with opportunities to share the gospel! They are literally everywhere!

So now to talk about Conference! I loved it! Elder Holland's talk was wonderful! I loved how he taught about the fall and how the Atonement saves us from it and how because of that sacrifice we are not just free falling forever! But with hands like the strike of lightning the Savior grabs onto us and saves us! I loved that! I also really liked the whole Saturday session. I can't remember who it was that said it, it might have been Uncle Boyd but he basically said, "The point of the church is to make sure that we have happy families that are sealed together for eternity." That is so true! I loved that! I have talked about this before but it is truly all about the covenants! They are everything!

Today I want to base my little spiritual thought on the talk given by Elder Wilford W Anderson of the seventy. About the dance steps and the music! I loved that talk! I loved how he talked about how we should live the gospel joyfully and we should learn that while we're young, in our homes. I am so grateful that I have parents that helped me to "Hear the music" growing up. They may not have always realized the impact that they had because I may have gotten a little away from the dance steps at times but they always helped me to hear the music. Thank you Mom and Dad! I love this gospel so much and it is because of all that you did while I was growing up! 

Well that's it for this week! Have a great week and tell somebody that Jesus loves them and help them to "Hear the Music"! 

With Love,

Elder Smith

"We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires. The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will only be experienced when we come to hear the music.

The challenge for all of us who seek to teach the gospel is to expand the curriculum beyond just the dance steps. Our children’s happiness depends on their ability to hear and love the beautiful music of the gospel."

Wilford W Anderson

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The Way

This week was a great one! We were able to work a lot with members and Lee is doing great! I am so proud of Him! There was one day when we took him to visit Matthew in the hospital and we get there and there was this body wrapped up in a sheet laying there on the bed! I have never seen Lee so disturbed! Ha it was way funny!

 I don't have a ton of news for this week but I just wanted to talk about the Savior a little bit! Since it's easter and all! A lot of my studies lately have been on the life of the Savior and His Atonement. I have loved it! 

Something that I have noticed is that the Savior is always inviting us to come and see, one by one. In the Book of Mormon it talks about how He asked them,to bring the sick that He could heal them. He does that one by one. He also invited the children to come so that He could bless them. Once again one by one. And these are Mormon families so that's a lot of Kids! Ha but I just thought it was so cool how concerned Christ was with the individual. He didn't just suffer for our sins as a whole! It was individual! He loved us enough to suffer for us individually! He knows exactly what we are going through! Because He has been there before! Time after time in my life I have wondered why are things so hard. Why do bad things happen when I'm trying to be good! However, I am certainly not the first person to ask this. Listen to this scripture from Matthew, "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:" In a sense He is saying, "if it's possible let me do this another way. If there is any other way, another path, I would rather walk it." But then he finishes with what characterizes the Savior so well. "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." He submitted to the Father. He knew His will was the best. I know that He is the Savior of the World! When hard times come there is always a way to make it through them! And that way is through, "The way, the truth and the life." I love you! Have a great Easter! 

With Love,

Elder Smith

"The Savior’s atonement in the garden and on the cross is intimate as well as infinite. Infinite in that it spans the eternities. Intimate in that the Savior felt each person’s pains, sufferings, and sicknesses. Consequently, he knows how to carry our sorrows and relieve our burdens that we might be healed from within, made whole persons, and receive everlasting joy in his kingdom."

Merrill J Bateman

Lee's Baptism

This week was one of the greatest weeks of my entire mission! I loved it! We were able to have Lee's baptism and it was so special! I leaked out of my eyes a lot! It was so neat because Sister Williams (One of the members who has taken him in) was there and she is great! She is super funny! But anyway Lee told her that Her mom is like the Mother he never had and that she is like the brother he never had! Ha and she just got up and bore her testimony and it was so powerful! At the end she told him that he was a great big brother. I was crying during hers! Then Lee got up and it was so neat! That man has come so far! I have come to love him so much and I am so grateful for him. But anyway he talked about how it was just time for him to do this. He said he was ready to be forgiven for all of the evil that he has done. (Lee hasn't done anything to crazy) But it was just cool! (I don't have time to write his whole story now but I will send it in the near future!)

Also we got to hear from Elder Cornish of the seventy and there was one part that was really cool! He talked about how the apostles and seventy go by Elder and so do the missionaries! He asked us why we thought that was and then said it us because, "We share our title with you, because we share our calling with you." He then went on to talk about how we are doing the same thing basically! We are to bear witness of the Savior! That was a really neat conference and I really enjoyed hearing from him!

I love my mission! I love it! I have never been a part of something that is as rewarding as this! I am so blessed to have met the people that I've met and to have the experiences that I have been able to have! I'm blessed.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior! I know that He loves each one of us and is always wanting us to come to Him. That is the constant call in His teachings! He is very much in each one of our lives. I know that. I love you all! Have a great week!

With Love,

Elder Smith

"Just because God is God, just because Christ is Christ, they cannot do other than care for us and bless us and help us if we will but come unto them, approaching their throne of grace in meekness and lowliness of heart. They can’t help but bless us. They have to. It is their nature.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is his true and living Church. He wishes us to come unto him, to follow him, to be comforted by him. Then he wishes us to give comfort to others. However halting our steps are toward him—though they shouldn't be halting at all—his steps are never halting toward us."

Jeffrey R Holland

ZONE CONFERENCE

 THE HALVERSONS (BATY MORRISON'S MISSION COMPANION)

LEE'S BAPTISM

 CURRIED IGUANA

COMMUNITY TIE????

 BAPTISM BURGER WITH LEE

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