Call Me Ronaldinho...

So this morning we went and played soccer and I really surprised myself. Nothing but goals, and some misses. Pretty good! Better than before which was nothing but misses.

This week we had some cool experiences doing divisions. We also were able to baptize Andréa, an investigator that has been going to church for about two years now, but just now decided to be baptized. She is 23 but looks like she is 12, but that's OK. She's really cool. 

We have a bunch of missionaries coming in soon that we need to organize here and find new houses for. Looks like we will be finding a new house for us too. We found a really cool one.

I was reflecting on how I have changed during the mission. I really don't think my personality has changed, but I feel that my ways of thinking are a lot different now. I feel a lot more dedicated and smart with my choices. I didn't really think about much other than myself before the mission, but that has all changed a lot. I have really learned that when I want something done, I have to see it through until the end. I don't just settle for things of the moment. I really try to see the big picture of things. When I think about what has brought me to this point, it didn't just happen from one thing to the next. It all started when I was called to be Senior companion for the first time on my mission with only 4 months in the field. I didn't know anything yet and I was terrified! But my district leader said something that really changed my mode of thought. He told me in English, "Just do your best and the Lord will do the rest." From then on I started just doing my best without giving up, trusting that the Lord would do the rest. I probably had heard that phrase before, but I had never really applied it to me personally until then. Having that go through my mind often really had an impact on me. I realize I still have a lot of faults that I hope to improve on, but now I have faith in knowing that I can overcome these things as long as I just do my best. 

I wish so badly that I could celebrate this birthday with you Mom. But we both understand that this is where I need to be. Not a day goes by though that I don’t think about you.

“All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my Angel Mother” – Abraham Lincoln

I love you and miss you as big as the beach! Happy Birthday!!

I love and miss you all!

God Speed

Elder Smidt X

Who let the dogs out...

Hello Family and Friends,

You wanted to know how my health was? Well besides eating a bunch of beans and rice every day for lunches (one thing that I wont miss too much), I have been really trying to get in shape. Its hard to trim off the fat when you are almost force fed until the point of exploding every day, but I'm getting slow results. Today me and my companion ran 8 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes (a few second under ten) but it felt good. We didn't run it too fast, but we also didn't walk once, so slowly but surely I'm getting ready for this Iron-man. 

Dad, remember our goal that we made years ago? When I get back do you wanna hike Mount Rainier together? That would be awesome. We could do a guys trip. Shawn, Jason, Dan, and Keaton. 

Christmas is just around the corner! Woo hoo!! Remember my Christmas wish list? hehehehe. But seriously, if all goes according to plan, this might be my last normal Christmas at home. Its gotta be a good one right? Mmmmm Buffalo Wings under the Christmas tree this year. 

So I just saved 250 bucks by finding a different place to live during my stay at BYU-I, the location is better, and the place is way nicer with a lot more benefits. John said I can get it for 850 dollars for the semester instead of 1150. It’s a bummer that it will be farther away from Bryan and Melissa, but it’s only about a 5 minute bike ride away.

Wow this letter is really trunky, I’m sorry. I’m not like this during the week. The whole week we have been doing divisions with other missionaries, and we conducted a surprise zone meeting this week for the last zone I was in before coming here. Its been suffering a little bit this month. First Aid!! Every day was just extremely busy, but way full of blessings. 

Have you gotten my package yet?

Still haven’t gotten the package yet, but I think the postal service is on strike again.... Darn wages that are extremely too low.

Who delivers the mail to all the missionaries? Do you sort through it and give it to the Zone leaders to deliver?

The normal mail man delivers the letters to this office, then the secretaries divide it per zone. Then when the zone leaders come they get the mail for their zone. 

Are there a lot of missionaries coming in with new Visas?

Yes, I think before the new year there is an estimated 40 new missionaries getting here.

Well, I love and miss you guys, The Ducks are awesome, can’t wait to see them in action again kick some trash.

Elder Smidt X

A Division in Star, Idaho...

Dear Family and Friends,

Are you now in the Heart of Belo Horizonte? Is that the big city with the sky scrapers and millionaires that you mentioned?

Yes, now I am in the heart of Belo Horizonte, the big city with skyscrapers.

Will your baptisms stop now that you aren’t one of the Elders out in the field teaching the investigators?

Basically our baptisms will unfortunately slow down a lot. We spend every day in other areas, but miracles still happen. We have a baptism planned for this next week, and there is a mom and daughter that want to get baptized as well. We are really blessed.

What is one cool experience that you had with the Mission President or his wife this week?

One cool experience? I went to the foot doctor today hopefully for the last time on the mission and Sister Fortunato was there and she gave us cookies. But other than that, I honestly haven’t seen the President at all this week. We have been gone the whole week.

What is one memorable experience you had out in the field with the Elders this week?

One really cool experience that I had was when I did a division in Pirapora to see if we can open up a new area. It still hasn’t opened officially yet because there are only 4 members in the whole city and only 2 are active; it’s a couple. So we went there to help them find people and the Lord blessed us. Yesterday we taught 8 lessons and found 6 new investigators and there is already one progressing strongly. The other people that we found accepted readily to be baptized on the 22^nd and when they feel that they receive an answer that the Book of Mormon is true scripture. Really Spiritual.

We spent two days there. Got there at 5 o'clock in the morning from a 5 hour trip and slept until 6:30. We stayed all day and slept there that night. The next morning we went running in Pirapora and it was awesome! Pirapora is really cool. It’s just a small town, really flat, and in the morning you get the cool, fresh smelling morning air combined with the smell of weeds. I heard the sound of bugs and birds that mixed with clear blue skies and it made me remember exactly of Star. There were a few cars that drove by, and once in a while a tractor drove by too. It was nice. We did about a three mile loop too, just like we do in Star. It was just perfect. I really miss the good ole hick town of Star and the awesome plainness of it.

Do you still have personal study time each morning or has your schedule changed now that you are in the office?

I usually study with the other missionaries during the divisions.

Do you get to do fun things on your P-day or are you still kind of “on duty” as an assistant?

Pretty much still on duty, but at least I can stay in the office. Today we went to get Mexican food for lunch; first time in a year and nine months. It was sooo cool and soooo good. One time we played soccer in the morning and that was cool, but nothing out of the ordinary.

What makes you happiest on the mission?

What makes me the happiest? That is a big question. There have been some times in the mission when I lay down at night and wonder if things couldn’t have been any worse that day. The great thing about life is that it just continues. Every day I can wake up and look at the sun rising and with that light growing in the bright dawn, I feel my desire growing; the desire to have a better day than the last. Looking on to the future and if necessary, repenting and moving on. Life can be full of start-overs, if we only let it. Every day is a new day and can be better than the last. What makes me the happiest is to see someone else realize this; to see the growing desire in someone’s heart to change, to wake up, to start a new life. When I start to see someone’s life change, truthfully following Jesus and repenting, I feel true happiness!

We have officially reached only two months left till I see you guys!!! 

Love and miss you all!

God Speed

Elder Smidt X

A new schedule...

Family and Friends,

I am beat. 

But awake.

I'm slowly getting used to what’s going on and what needs to be done. Here are answers to the questions from last week.

1.       Do you live in the Mission Home or an apartment?

I still live in a normal apartment, except now I work in the big city. BIG city. Lots of sky scrapers, lots of millionaires, and lots of expensive things. 

2.       Is the mission home and the mission office in the same house or building or separate?

The Mission Office is separate from the Mission Home. Nobody ever goes to the mission home except for missionaries that arrive and missionaries that are going home and the Zone Leaders for the councils.

3.       Do you have nice modern conveniences like purified water, nice appliances, etc.?

Here in the Office we have really nice things, nice fridge, nice water system, it’s just nice here. But our apartment is probably the worst one that I have passed by yet, but we are only there to sleep so that’s ok.

4.       Do you have most of your meals now with mission related events or with the president or do you still have to do all your own meals and grocery shopping?

Well, I still have to do my own shopping. I leave about all my food in the office. I have granola, Bran Cereal, and bananas. Trying to eat healthier because there are some nights that we are in the office until 11 or mid night working on things, so we call in delivery to get through the night, and that's super unhealthy, and when we are here we just sit all day. But we try to do a lot of divisions with the Elders in the mission. 

5.       What is your new companions name and where is he from?

My Companion is Elder Bond, from Seattle Washington. He has one more transfer than me on the mission and was called as an assistant the transfer before I was. But we will be going home on the same day because I couldn't stay longer. He is smart, goes to BYU-I, he’s funny and likes to run.

So I am super busy, This last Tuesday, we had the Mission leadership council and the president told us what he wanted Elder Bond and I to speak about. This was on Monday in the afternoon. We got started on making our Power Points with all the numbers of the mission and everything and got done at around 1:30AM. We got to bed about 2:00AM. So before the Council we woke up at 5AM to go running. I am really trying to stay in good shape and run more since we just sit all day eating not very good food. The cool thing is, is we are permitted to take taxis wherever we need to go……reimbursed.

Then the next day we had a division planned in another city with the Elders there. The tickets that we had to buy to get there on time were the midnight tickets, so that night we stayed awake until midnight, got on the bus going there and rode for four hours. We got there, slept on the ground for an hour and a half and started the day with only a total of maybe 5 hours of sleep for two nights! But the division was awesome and the missionaries learned a lot. Now things are slowly starting to get back under control.

Once in a while there will be small emergencies that we have to take care of. For example, last night the president called us in for a meeting. Whenever he calls you in he just unloads a lot of information and tasks so you always have to go in with a notebook and pen and have to write fast. Last night he called us in and told us that we need to make several charts with the numbers in the whole mission, (7 stakes and two districts) about Frequency, Ward Councils, Confirmations, how many baptisms were from Less Actives and from references, etc. and he needed it by midnight because he has a meeting with one of the Seventy right now. So we stayed up late doing that for him. Basically, everything the President needs with a computer, we do it for him.

This next week we have to do divisions with the Zone Leaders every day of the week, so we travel to other areas a lot. I have only worked in our area three times and it was only at night. We just don’t have time to do work in our own areas, but that’s ok.

This letter is super boring, but I am writing all this just to give you a little insight on what my schedule is like now. 

But in the office, its awesome! Basically the show "The Office" is exactly what happens here. When you are sitting at a computer all day, you start thinking of the funniest things and pranks. Plus, we have to deal with some really interesting people that come into the office.

Sorry this letter was lame. Next week ask me questions about experiences not just facts to get my mind set in the right placeJ

God Speed

Elder Smidt X