Missionary life in Ecuador...

some sunsets...

some walking...

some monkeying around...

some work...

some more walking...

and some success...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: shain smith
Date: Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Subject: Elder Smith
To: smiths@snsnv.com, Julie@snsnv.com, snicksmith@gmail.com, Taylor@snsnv.com

Hola Familia

How is everyone doing? We had a really good week. We had one baptism and family that we are teaching accepted the baptism date that we put with them for the 8th of August. They are going to get married this week and are really excited for their baptism. I’ll keep everyone posted on the progress of them.´
My companion and I are working really hard every day so that we can help as many people as possible receive the blessing that we have received. One of the inactive families that we are teaching went to church yesterday. That was really exciting because sometimes it’s something really difficult to come back to church after being a parted for so much time. We are going to help their daughter get ready for her baptism.
I hope to be able to hear from everyone this week. I love and miss you all a ton.
Elder Smith

Elder Smith's 1yr mark...

Baptism of Jacobo Rosa and Estefania and their family, most of whom we are teaching right now
Celebration dinner after baptism, Roasted Duck haha my comp was sick for about 4 days lol
Crucita, the beach about 45 minutes from our sector

Elder Smith July 20 2009

-----Original Message-----
From: shain smith [mailto:shainsmith@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 12:45 PM
To: smiths@snsnv.com; Julie@snsnv.com; snicksmith@gmail.com; Taylor@snsnv.com
Subject: Elder Smith July 20 2009

Hey Family,

How is everyone doing? Here in Ecuador we are doing really well. The weather is still hot, I think hotter actually and right now we are supposable in the winter part of the year, but its ok I’m pretty Ecuadorian so the heat doesn’t get to me haha. This week we have were focusing a lot on the less active members of the church. There are a lot of really awesome families in our sector and the only think that they are missing is to attend church. Seems like to me, that the hardest part for the people is to return after having so much time away from the church. We are trying to get all of the families that we are teaching excited to be able to go to the temple. At the beginning of the year when we were setting goals I said that goals should have a vision and our vision with the less active members is that the families can be sealed in the temple.

As far as the people that we are teaching, we have lots of people that want to get baptized. This weekend we will have one and the weeks coming up I think three families. As always it’s kind of hard to get people to come to church but we are working really hard so that the investigators can attend. Jacobo received the Priesthood yesterday. He seems to be pretty excited to be able to baptize a person. We are going to see what we can to so that he can baptize someone in his family.

Not too much more new this week. Fabricio and Lisseth moved to another city out of the blue. That’s kind of a bummer to not get to say goodbye to them but I guess that’s what its like when we have changes and we don’t get to say bye to any of the members. He told his family that he is attending church but the closest chapel to his house is 1 ½ hours in car. I told his mom that he has the Melquezedic Priesthood so he should form a branch in the city where he is living.

Well I hope that everyone is doing well. We are getting ready to start another week. Looking forward to helping lots of people enter the waters of baptism. Hope to hear from everyone soon. Thanks for the letters this week from home.

Elder Smith

Elder Smith Jul 13 2009

-----Original Message-----
From: shain smith [mailto:shainsmith@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 3:13 PM
To: snicksmith@gmail.com; Julie@snsnv.com; smiths@snsnv.com
Subject: Elder Smith Jul 13 2009

Hola Familia

Como están todos. Espero que se encuentren con mucha salud y bendiciones del Señor. Les cuento que estoy muy bien aquí en Ecuador. Tuvimos tres bautismos esta semana. Una familia muy especial que tiene mucha fe en Dios y en Jesucristo.

How is everyone doing? Another week gone by. We finished the week in the best way possible, with three baptisms. The Macias family got baptized this week with their granddaughter. We worked really hard this week to make this baptism come to past. The couples, Jacobo and Rosa got married on Tuesday and then baptized on Saturday and yesterday were confirmed members of the church in the sacrament meeting. I haven’t talked a whole lot but they are a family that we met through the reference of Rosa Farfan. Jacobo is 73 years old and when we met him about a month and half ago he had just been operated on. He was bed ridden and could not move at all. We went to the house where he was staying and his daughter who isn’t a member asked if there was any type of prayer that we could offer to help her father feel better. We explained to them what a Priesthood Blessing was and asked Jacobo if he had faith. We proceeded with the blessing and that very day he was up and walking and the wound that he had from the operation sealed shut. Jacobo has a lot of faith in Jesus Christ and gained a stronger testimony of the church and the blessing that we gave him. From that day forward we were able to meet his wife, his children and grandchildren all of whom are very kind and receptive to our message.

Now a little about Rosa, Sister Rosa is paralyzed from the waist down and cannot walk. She does not leave her house because she lives in a cane house that is about 10 feet high and at the highest part of the hill in our sector. Rosa gained her own testimony of the church by praying and receiving an answer. Her and her husband had all the desires in the world to be able to assist the church and finally we were able to make it happen with lots of help of their family and the members. We were able to help her and her husband get married this week and get baptized.

During the baptism service they shared their testimonies and the room was defiantly filled by the spirit. We are going to keep teaching their family and help every one of them receive the same blessings that they have received.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity that I have to teach the restored gospel to so many people. I couldn’t ask to be in any other place in the world. I love what im doing and seeing the joy that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can offer to the people. I love and miss everyone and looking forward to hearing from you all this week.

Elder Smith

Elder Smith 29 Jun 2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: shain smith
Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Subject: Elder Smith 29 Jun 2009
To: snicksmith@gmail.com, Julie@snsnv.com, smiths@snsnv.com

Hello family,

How is everyone doing? Another week gone by and another change. This past change was definitely the fast one that I have had. I don’t know where all the time goes but I guess that’s good because it means we are busy. This weekend we had three baptisms. The wife of Fabricio Farfan finally got baptized. They are both really happy and looking forward to next year to go the temple to be sealed as a family. Fabricio received the Melquesidec Priesthood this week too, good week for the family.
My companion and I are working really hard. Trying to find new people to teach. Right now we have two families that are getting ready for their baptisms. Both of them are really excited and progressing a lot. We found a family of gold that was a reference from the Farfan family that is assisting church every Sunday and even temple preparation but the husband has to finish some paper work with a divorce before he can get married to his wife so that they can get baptized. But they are really cool and have change a lot. There isn’t anything better to see the change that people can make in their lives and to see the blessings that they can receive just by obeying the commandments.
Yesterday we had stake conference and the stake president gave all the members, every family, the challenge to help an inactive family come back to church and to bring one family that are not members to church before the end of the year. Imagine how much a ward could grow if every family to the responsibility to complete the invitation. Many of us have testimonies and many of us can make a grand difference in our wards. Doctrine and Covenants 84:106.
I hope everyone has a great week. I’m looking forward to starting another change. We plan to have lots of success. Hope to hear from everyone this week. Love and miss you all a ton.
Elder Smith