EFECTO GALLETA CHOCOCHIP - DELICIOUS IN ANY LANGUAGE

This last week we were in Pucallpa.  I got the opportunity to work with Elder Jimenez (one of my old companions) in his new area.  He just become a zone leader this last transfer and he has become an excellent teacher and missionary.  It was really special to see his growth in this last year.  While we were in Pucallpa we also trained all of the leaders.  I was to train about verifying commitments and was sitting meditating before the training trying to think of a good way to start off and an old memory came to my head.  Im not sure if it was road show or stake youth conference but in one testimony meeting with all of the youth a women from our ward, not sure what her name was i think she moved (she had redish hair and was a crazy good singer, like profesional i think)  Anyways she mentioned how after a big activity in the church, like stake conference or road show, we all are on a "spiritual high."  She compared it to pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven:  Right when you pull them out they are hot and soft and super delicious but with time the cookies turn into hocky pucks.  She called it the "chocolate chip cookie effect"  So i spoke about the "efecto galleta chocochip" It was a funny little way to start and it was cool because everyone who trained after me related their training to that little analogy as well.  Yesterday  Elder Lezano, an area seventy here in Peru, came and trained all of the members of ward council here in iquitos.  He talked about how to govern, direct, and control the church. (thats translation from spanish, not sure if thats what the scripture says in english) but it was super cool.  The church is so perfectly organized.  All of the authorities who come to answer questions of the members and leaders here have such a sound understanding of the doctrine and organization of the church.  They take these BIG questions that the members have and make it seem as if a child could have figured out the answer.  This coming week should be really good.  We are not traveling so we will be focused here in our area.  We are currently teaching a really cool new family: Liderson and Maria.  and also another guy: marvin whos the security guy here in the office.  Bueno, twas a good week and there are more to come, hope all is well back home

Elder Smith

ELDER BEAS - A NEW COMPANION

Bam theres two!  The truth is that i lent my camera for the last few months to another missionary who doesnt have one and wanted to take pictures.  But he is going to return it on monday.  Anyways everything is fully documented of the last few months because hermana Li takes her tablet everywhere and takes SO MANY PICTURES. i will get them from her and we will all see them together one day.  For now these are two pics of Elder Beas, Me, Presidente Li, and Elder Yauney.  Elder Yauney goes home on monday and Elder Beas is my new comp.  Hes from Lima and is super rad.  Hes going to help me out a lot.   Elder beas finishes his mission in December. 

Elder Smith

THE GARDENER

This week was Leadership Council.  It was fun.  We trained about how the Lord chastens and rebukes the ones he loves.  Elder Christofferson gives a really good talk about it when he tells the Hugh B. Brown story about the gardener.  Anyways the training went really well.  Also this week we are working on the changes with President Li.  Its been pretty nuts. and really time consuming.  But transfers are a very spiritual experience.  Its been super uplifting.  President Li already chose my new companion but i wont be with him for like another 2 weeks.  Its kind of weird knowing. Sorry thats all ive got for now. Until next week.

un abrazo

Elder Smith

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT

well i sat down with president li again.  I told him a few reasons maybe why i shouldnt extend.  He looked me in the eye and said "in all seriousness i need you stay. i need your support"  So there you have it.  ill be home at the end of november.  Love you guys

mom sorry just a quick thing.  it looks like my request to extend my mission got denied by salt lake. 

THE NELSONS...A BIG IMPACT

This week went well.  We are in Moyobamba right now.  We were in Tarapoto friday and saturday.  Sunday today and tomoro we are here in moyobamba  and wednesday well be headed back to iquitos.  But our two days in tarapoto were super awesome.  In the mission we have a pair of adult missionaries.  They are the Nelsons from salt lake city utah.  This is their 3rd mission in the last 6 years.  They served one mission in the north of lima in 2010.  then in 2013 they opened up the branch in Nauta.  and this last year and a half they have served in Tarapoto.  They help a ton with family history and getting to the temple.  The people here seriously love them.  its funny because elder nelson hasnt learned spanish very well at all but sister nelson is just the bomb.  she speaks super well and everyone goes to her for help.  it was cool about a year a ago while i was serving in nueva cajamarca i asked elder nelson why he chose three times to serve in peru if he doesnt know spanish.  he told me "sister nelson is happy when she speaks spanish.  and if sister nelson is happy, im happy"  that one stuck with me.  i thought that was super cool.  Anyways in their farewell elder nelson in his broken spanish and with tears in his eyes spoke about how he was a temple worker in the salt lake temple.  He said that everyone always comes up to him and says that its the "best" calling in the church.  but when they do he corrects them and says "no es el segundo mejor. el numero uno es misionero" I was really impacted by that as well.  This next weekend, for there last sunday here in peru there going to go back to nauta.  As i said before they opened up that branch 4 or five years ago.  elder nelson was the first branch president and he had misionaries as his councilors.  But its grown so fast in the last few years that theyre opening up a building out there in Nauta.  A big awesome legit chapel.  Theyre going for its dedication and man are the people of Nauta going to be stoked to see them.  Well i guess i wrote a lot about the nelsons but this week they had a big impact on me.  They are a great example of dedicated service in the Lords vinyard.  Hope all is well back home

un abrazo

Elder Smith

HELPING HANDS JERSEYS ARE EXCITING

This week we were in Pucallpa.  We trained, met with the stake president, and did some visits with the missionaries.  The visits went really well.  I got to visit one of my old areas and see some people progressing more and more in the gospel.  The meeting with the stake presidency went very well.  The stake president is super young and animated.  He was really excited to start doing more activities with the missionaries.  We gave him the idea to get the mormon helping hands jersey things and start looking for service projects to do as a stake with the support of the missionaries.  He was really excited about the idea.  The training also went really well.  I talked about how to put off the natural man or overcome the natural man.  I really like a quote from Richard G Scott that says "we become what we want to be, by consistently being what we want to be become, every day"  I talked about how we shouldnt feel hopeless or defeated if we have sinful desires.  Because its natural.  It is our tendency as "fallen men" to sin. Therefore it requires daily conscious decisions to overcome the "natural man" tendencies that we may have.  Theres a little bit more to it but ya thats kind of the jist of it.  Hopefully it makes a little bit of sense.  Anyways, things keep moving on.  Its really fun getting to know President Li more and more.  He is a spiritual giant.  Im excited to keep learning from him.

Elder Smith   

Sister Li takes fotos wherever we go.  I will get them off her tablet soon.  I still havnt gotten the opportunity to sit down with president Li alone.  But its looking like it might be too late to even solicite an extension of my mission.  Well see tho.  This week ill have the exact date.  This week i got a package from Hermana Jackie (From Pucallpa) the one who was like my nurse for the first 3 months of my mission.  She wrote me such a sweet letter and sent some chocolates and stuff.  I was so stoked.  She was like my mom while i was in Pucallpa. A little tender mercy that i needed from the Lord.  I love you mom

CUT UP TREES

So this week was consejo de lideres.  It was awesome.  we trained about getting the job done.  I found this talk called the principle of work by Elder Stanley and i loved it.  it talks about a guy who went and did service after a hurricane in florida.  he says "all i did was cut up trees that were blown down by a hurricane"  Then the guy giving the talk says "brethren cutting trees is more important than thinking about cutting trees or planning to cut trees"  I love that thought so much.  The kind of guy that Elder Stanley describes in the talk is the guy who just knows how to get it done.  People who know how to work hard.  It made me think of Kolton Osborn.  Such a good example of work.  Also this week weve been going with president Li to meet with the stake presidents and talk about the work.  Its been very special to be around such spiritual monsters.  Seriously, there are some studly men down here in the jungle of Peru.  We talked about how to aline the keys of the stake president with the keys of the mission president.  One thing that President Li has changed in our mission already is that we can now go to ward missionary activities.  Before we couldnt.  We were very focused on proselyting with all the time we had, which i loved.  But president Li, coming from Lima, has great new ideas about how to work better with the members.  I think theres going to be a big boom again in the mission work down here soon.  Were all really excited.  this next week were headed to Pucallpa for the first time with President Li.  Should be awesome.  Hope all is well

Elder Smith