FELIZ NAVIDAD FROM IQUITOS

Christmas with my new compi

Ok just to let yall know. I got transfered:(  Im now back in Iquitos in a place called Punchana.  My ward and area is called Bellavista.  We are right on the amazon in my area.  Its like a pennisula kinda.  But its super rad and raining alot.  The water is coming up quick and we are going to be helping put up the bridges soon so we can we can walk around in our area because sadly it is against mision rules to go around in canoe.  Anyways my new companion is elder Muñoz.  Hes from Nebraska making him my first gringo companion! keeping my streak alive of never having 2 companions from the same place.  Ive had comps from honduras, bolivia,belize, argentina, colombia, mexico, peru and now the USA.  i just need someone from ecuador or paraguay or chile or something.  Its pretty cool having companions from all over because the way i speak always changes with all of them.  I always immitate how they speak.  It was really funny when i went to nueva cajamarca everyone made fun of me for speaking like a columbian because i dropped all my s´s.  (just like my anterior comp had done)  

Pucha my times up and these pics are taking forever to load.  Internet in Punchana is so slow.  But ya ive got a bunch of cool pics to send and stories to tell but theyll be for some other time.  

Love you all. have a good week

Elder Smith

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

I still know nothing about skype or calling (we get to talk to him on Christmas!) cause changes are today and i dont even know where im going to be but we should be calling next week to set up the phone call.  im gonna write a big email but here are some pics for ya.  

 

1 one of my favorite missionaries in my district.  Elder Llamoca.

2. me and my buddy from close by back home.  Elder Yauney.

 he went to Troy highschool.  hes from close by.  o ya and we went to the caves  Love you mama

 

Woo ya ok this change has flown by.  I trained elder Castro this change.  Hes from Lima and hes an absolute stud.  He has a ton of questions all the time but hes got a powerful testimony of Christ and the book of mormon which he clutches onto at all times.  Right now in Nueva the weather is pretty nice it rains alot which i love.  The food is amazing.  Our pensionist is super rad makes something new everyday. Right now we are teaching a ton of people using the new iniciative HA NACIDO UN SALVADOR.  i think its a savior is born in english.  Anyways ive been having a lot of spiritual experiences teaching about the birth and purpose of Jesus Christ.  Mostly teaching the birth of Christ in the book of mormon.  We talk about the profesies of Samuel the Lamanite and the small group of the most rightous of people who had faith in the signs and suffered with patience all the persecution from those who didnt believe.  We talk about the darkness that filled the earth when Christ gave up his life.  And the amazing light that is Jesus Christ to cast out all darkness in our lives.  Jesus Christ appeared to a pueblo here in the americas.  Theywere the part of the nefites who were the ¨mas justo¨ and their faith was turned into knowledge, into real testimony as Christ invited them, One by One, to feel the marks in His hands and in His feet and thrust there hands into His side.  I know that Christ really did appear here.  The Book of Mormon is scritpture from a loving Heavenly Father to convince all men to come unto Christ.  Many here in Nueva Cajamarca are coming unto Christ because of the spirit that have felt as they read the Book of Mormon.  I love the power that i find and feel in the scriptures.  Share the Birth of Christ with everyone this Christmas.  He Lives.

Elder Smith

 

some more fotos of the caves below

FISHING IN THE AMAZON AND LISTENING TO THE SPIRIT

so me and my comp had a cool experience this week.  We were walking out in the boondies.  super far from the city where there arent a lot of houses to visit an investigador in hopes of finding her husband for the first time.  Up until then we had only taught her and her kids.  just before we got to her house we started to hear gun shots from a pistol (says my companion)  and some guy screaming venga a comer! my comp got super scared and wanted to go back home.  I told him elder listen to the spirit if the spirit tells us to turn back well go back.  we just kept walking and went right past this guys house.  He was drunk and on top of his roof.  we passed right under him and got to Isela and Segundos house.  They were pretty scared of what was happening outside.  But ya we finally found her husband and we were able to comfort them and there kids. Now we have a whole new family that is hearing the restored gospel for the first time in there lives.  The Lords protects us as we do his work.  I know this is kind of a weird experience but it was very special for my companion and I.  Being new in the mission my comp was frightened but the he said the moment i told him to listen to the spirit he knew we would be fine.  Im so greatful for the gift of the holy ghost in my life

Elder Smith

 heres a couple of good fishing fotos for yall as well

BRIAN REGAN DONUTS

ok i just got to tell this story.

so i went to lima with elder cooper and hes new in the mission.  so were driving from moyobamba to tarapota and theres a sign that says ¨zona inestable¨ which means unstable zone.  But cooper didnt know so he asked me and i told him.  and then under his breath cooper says ¨blasting zone ahead.  shouldnt that read road closed¨ haha and then from that point on we were rolling in the brian regan jokes.  And to top it all off we went and bought dunkin donuts before we left lima and ya we found donuts with frosting all of em and sprinkles but not all over em.  haha we were dying.

THANKSGIVING IN LIMA

Ok i have no time to write.  But just to let you know they sent me to lima this week to get my new carnet de extranjeria (immigration card).  I was in lima on thanksgiving and ate in the restraunt of a 4 star hotel.  Ya thats whats up.  There was no turkey but you know i was munchin on those mashed potatos!!  Also they sent me there with elder sheppard.  He is so rad.  We are for sure gonna be hommies when we get home.  We took a pic in front of the temple.  He hasnt sent it to me yet but maybe you could ask sister sheppard for it.  Shoot all is well mom sorry i have no time.  Anyways i love you mom!!

Elder Smith

A RAINY BAPTISM

heres some sweet fotos of the rainy baptism

FRIDAY THE 13TH BRINGS BLESSINGS AND TESTIMONY

Update on life:  So im still in Nueva Cajamarca.  My companions name is Elder Castro from Lima.  ( my first peruvian companion)  Hes straight from MTC.  I love training the newbes.  Its the best assignment there is in the mission.  Weve been having a lot of success in our area largely due to the amazing branch that we attend.  The members of our branch rock!  Seriously missionary work is so amazing when its not only the missionaries working.  This branch is exemplary and were seeing lots of fruits because of it.  Its very fun working in nueva cajamarca because its been completly dominated by adventists.  Haha every door you knock people ask you what the 4th commandment is and ask you if you love God and therefore keep His commandments.  And then try to tell you that you dont love God because you worship Him on Sunday and not on Saturday.  But weve got plastered on our wall right now "siervos de Dios no son contenciosos" (servants of God are not contentious) so ya we just love em and ask if we can share with them the restored gospel.  Our Branch president is presidente Claudio.  He is a G.  Hes a huge help for everyone and all the other branches in moyobamba and tarapoto are always asking him what is it that he does to have such a strong branch.  My pensionista is Mama Ana.  Shes pregnant with twins. like 7 months i think.  Shes big.. and by big i mean BIG.  two babies in one women.  Pretty crazy.  But shes serioulsy the best cook ever.  And she always gives us a ton of fruit.  Here in Nueva there is a ton of fruit.  The other day we went to the chacra of one of our recient converts and just walked around picking the fruits off the trees and eating them.  It was like heaven.  Just chewing sugar cain, eating mangos, oranges, cocos, limas(sweet lemons) and more. As for my birthday, no one knew.  i didnt tell anybody and we just worked normal.  But then aparently they lost my peruvian ID in iquitos and i had to go denounce it.  Ugh and there i had to say my birthday and my comp found out.  But i told him just not to say anything and he was cool about it.  Actually the day of my birthday kinda stunk.  i was kindof expecting something awesome to happen and ya nothing did.  It was actually a super dificult day where the Lord tested us a bunch.  but after the trial of faith comes the blessings and testimony.  Friday the 13th, a day latter, we went out to Naranjillos: about thirty minutes further out from Nueva.  Only one member lives out there but she comes to church every sunday.  we went because she wanted us to visit a women who had reciently lost her 3 yr old child in a motorcycle accident.  We went and taught the plan of salvation.  We read how the atonement of Jesus Christ already paid for the sins of those who sinned in ignorance and how we must repent of our sins because we dont commit them in ignorance as adults.  Her face lit up and the spirit filled the room when she realized her son was clean and that she would see him again one day.  She was with one of her friends who was holding her 4 year old child who was crippled from birth.  After the lesson they both asked if we could bless the child.  it was another very spiritual experience and they both came to church this sunday.  Were very excited to keep teaching these two new familys. No time left but ya hope all is well at home.  Lots of love down here from Peru

Always

Elder Smith

PADRINO IT IS

these two kids think im there padrino. (godfather) haha there so rad.  my new comp baptized there mom and another elder in my district baptized there brother.  this family is rad

 pictures take forever to upload and i can only send 2 at a time cuz this camera is so legit the fotos take up a lot of space.  but ya heres the whole crew

and my new comp elder castro from lima.  and the other is elder llamoquita.  hes so cool i love these guys

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER SAM

so ya 19 was the mistery year... let me fill you in about the goals i had for the year and how they went

goal-learn to love fish

result-mission accomplished.  whats up i eat all fishes now

goal- dominate the food of peru

result-ive had diahrea for over a year now

goal-learn how to play soccer

result-i still havnt scored one goal

goal-be 185 pounds

result- i accompished 180 in like a month of being in the field... then came the infections and parasytes.  back to 165...

goal- love to read

result-nailed it. 

goal- chest hair

result-smoother than a babies bottom

goal-be able to grow a sweet beard

result-lets just say i still use the razor i used in the mtc... and ive used it like 6 times

goal-remain better looking than spencer

result- dang that kids a dime.  id put myself at like a 4 now a days

ya you could say i have learned to dominate my goals.  

 

o ya and apparently we all get to pick something that everyone has to do on our birthdays.  best tradition ever.  next week i want videos of everyone nailing a fieldgoal from the 10 yard line... at least.  

sweet. peace out family.  i love you guys

BUT WE PRAYED...O YA THE RAIN STOPPED

here are some fotos...

 I tried to take the cool pic but it didnt work out all that well because we were above the clouds.  maybe well try again later.

 




This weeek we kicked booty.  The Lord helped us so much to be able to marry and baptize this family.  It was so much fun.  Im gonna send pics of saturday ( halloween!! the wedding and the baptism) it was an awesome halloween and ill try to narrarate the day with the pics. (They had to go to Pueblo Libre to marry this couple and return to Nueva Cajamarca for the baptism all on Halloween day. The following is his narration of the Marriage and Baptism of Donald and Maria.)

first: waiting in the paradero (bus stop) for the birth certificate of donald to arrive before we could go to pueblo libre  look at our halloween ties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

second: Boarding the mini van to go to pueblo libre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

third: the alcalde (mayor)  didnt show up and we waited in some guys motokar for like 2 hours haha the guy came and kicked us out of his moto after a while and we had to go sit on a curb. 

fourth: the wedding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fifth: the whole crew that went out to pueblo libre

sixth: going out to pueblo libre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

seventh: coming back from pueblo libre.  And we baptize in a river so ya if it rains the river flows and you cant baptize.  But we prayed

(This is out of order, but he is contrasting the weather when they left for the marriage ceremony in Pueblo Libre to the weather when they returned for the baptism that cannot be done in the rain.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eighth:The fam walking to there baptism.  O ya the rain stopped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ninth:  the whole crew at the baptism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tenth: my comp baptized donald

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eleventh: helping maria into the water

 

 

twelfth: then we danced a little haha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lastly: and she got baptized (I think he forgot to upload this picture! hopefully next week.)

 

twas a great halloween

theres a bunch more pics but i thought these ones were cool 

Mom i love you i got to go but just know always i love you and im happy

SACRAFICES PEOPLE MAKE

Wo lots of cool stuff going on down here in Nueva Cajamarca.  Everybody is getting ready for EL NIÑO! dun dun dun.... haha you gotta look it up some phenomenon where it rains for like 3 months straight.  No ones really sure if its going to arrive here.  I heard its more for the coast but everyones still getting prepared.  Better safe then sorry.  This week were working hard to marry Donald y Maria.  This is the most rushed wedding of my life.  Were looking everywhere for birth certificates and IDs so they can get married.  Its super fun.  Were going to travel to Pueblo Libre to marry them cuz its way cheaper out there.  This family is so cool.  They are changing so fast.  They had a lot of family problems and really just had no idea how to raise their kids.  That had bad examples from there parents so it was the only way they knew how.  But weve talked a ton of The Family Proclamation for the world and have had a ton of support from the branch here in counseling them.  They are very excited.  Well see if it all works out this weekend.  Well i dont have much more time to write but yesterday we had a conference for all of peru and bolivia where Elder Neil L. Anderson addressed us.  So rad.  His spanish was the bomb!  He talked about the sacrifices people make to get to the temple.  There are only 3 temples in all of peru and Bolivia.  But his talk was powerful.  I know the temple is the place were supposed to be and it gives us the strength to keep the covenants that we have made.  Hope everyone has a good week

Always

Elder Smith

IT'S ALL FISHY STUFF

so i went swimming this week. Nueva Cajamarca rocks.  The food here is pretty much the same as all of the jungle in peru.  Mom your gonna be so proud and jealous. haha yesterday our pensionista made us this plate called tarapulcra. You have to look in up.  Its all fishy stuff and i ate it. and i loved it. weird right? it was oysters, crab, and a bunch of other fishy stuff that i had no idea what it was.  But it was sooooo good.  You have to look up the plate to see what it is.  Nueva is really jungly.  Theres one highway that runs thru town and a little town center.  other than that its all dirt. and the animals are rad.  We played with the monkey of our investigator the other day.  O ya and we ate armadillo yesterday. ay so many things to tell but i have no time! i love you mama.

Elder Smith

NUEVA CAJAMARCA

Are you stinking kidding me! Chow Iquitos and hello Nueva Cajamarca.  Pleease look up Nueva cajamarca on google or something because this place in the bomb!!!!  Its absolutly gorgeous highly elevated jungle.  Its a small pueblo but it rocks.  We are just a branch out here for now but we are working hard to become a ward soon.  I was very bummed to leave the people i was working with in Iquitos but i know they will be alright with the new missionaries that were sent there.  I am here with my new companion elder Loayza from Chiclayo Peru but spent a lot of his life in Mexico as well.  Hes an absolute stud.  We live with 2 other missionaries and us four are in charge of all of Nuevo cajamarca.  We belong to the zone Moyobamba.  Which is a two hour drive out of Tarapoto.  Then another hour or so from Moyo to get to Nueva cajamarca.  We are away from it all.  it is so rad.  Best area in the mission.  This week we had such a cool experience with man whos door we knocked on.  He was super stirn and justed talked very strongly at us for like 20 minutes without us saying a word.  Then he let us talk and all we talked about were the profets, Christs earthly ministry, and the apostacy.  By the end he was yearning for more.  The spirit worked intesnly inside of him.  When we came the next time he had read the whole pamphlet and had his whole family waiting for us in the front room.  He gave us big hugs as we walked in.  He then tried to explain what he had learned from us to his wife and couldnt  remember a thing just the feelings he had.  It was awesome.  He was so pumped to hear it all again and that his family too could here our message.  It was very special.  His wife wasnt as excited as him but we will keep working with them.  A real conversion can take some time.  I know that only the spirit of the Lord can truly convert people. And we are doing the best we can to keep Him with us at all times

always

Elder Smith

Just to let you know i visited miguel the next day and he accepted to be baptized but that same day i had a plain ride out to moyobamba.  Yup im out of iquitos.  In a little pueblo called Nueva Cajamarca.  Its the coolest place in the world and its the furthest away from the whole mission.  To get to moyobamba you have to fly into tarapoto and then drive 2 hours up to the higher elevated jungle.  Then to get to nueva cajamarca you have to drive another hour or so.  But its stinking cold here ahh its so cool.  I havnt gotten the camera but i will take tons of pictures when it gets here.  The zone leaders are going to iquitos at the beginning of october and will bring all the packages back.  Love you mom

ADIOS IQUITOS