Valentine's Day and Another week!

HOLA :)

First thing I gotta say this week... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIZABETH FAYE!!!
I seriously can't believe a how much you have grown up while I
have been gone. It's insane and it'd be nice if you slowed down a
bit!! Haha anyways, I love you a lot sis. Everyone who is reading this
knows just how alike we are!! I was seriously blessed with the best 2
sisters in the world!! Also, happy late Valentine's Day everybody :)
Anyways the week was good, I am freaking exhausted!! We worked and
worked and worked and then worked some more. Thanks for all the love
and prayers, we can feel them every day!! Here's the summary :)

Tuesday we had intercambios and I was with Elder Fletcher. I freaking
love that guy. We always have so much fun and we teach super well
together too. Anyways I hope someday I can be his companion! We went
to visit Michael and helped him write a church talk about faith. We're
still working on his testimony but it's coming along! I love that kid
so much. Another kinda sad thing that's happening this week is his
sister Nichole is leaving on her mission!! I'm super happy for her but
she has helped me so much and loves to be with the missionaries. She
will be an incredible missionary :) we had a district meeting on
Wednesday then ended up back at the Tamayo's house on Wednesday to
finalize the talk. Of course the mom Susan cooks for us too like
always, and it was yummy as usual. We eat so much rice and eggs here
in Spain and one thing I've really come to love is Chorizo... This
meat that is so wonderful. It's to die for!

So Claudia our investigator has kinda fallen off the deep end. We
still continue to meet with her occasionally but she isn't reading the
Book of Mormon and it shows in her testimony and I get sad. We will
have to see what we can do to help her but it has just strengthened my
testimony so much on the power that the Book of Mormon contains. If
you don't have a testimony, read it! It's super simple! Ask Heavenly
Father and he's going to let you know it's true! So keep her in your
prayers please.

Sunday we had Elder Faustino Lopez come and speak to us! He is a
member of the seventy I think but doesn't have an assigned area
anymore, so he travels around Spain and talks to the areas. He looks
exactly like Dad from the side and from the front, he is like my
Uncles Gary, Gordon, and Tad R. Callister mixed. I attached a picture
haha but yeah it was good stuff. He taught us about living a Celestial
Lifestyle. Because ultimately if that's where we want to end up, why
wouldn't we live that way in the first place? I absolutely loved it.
The guy was so awesome and it was the perfect motivation for me. I
taught Sunday school about the fall of Adam and Eve, that was a riot!
Super fun though, I'm just loving every single second here in Spain :)

This week we passed by an investigator named Rosa who has been
investigating the church for ages. Anyways, somehow and somewhere in
the lesson she got offended and started to say that Joseph Smith was a
racist. Then she called me a racist too because I'm white and my last
name is Smith! I was like holy cow! How sad. This lady has no clue!!
She just kept telling us that she can't accept that the Book of Mormon
is another book of scripture. Well, back to what I was saying earlier,
READ IT! So that was the first time we passed by Rosa and more than
likely the last time as well. We also passed by a girl named Melany
from Bolivia who is a less active. We got in the house and soon found
out that everyone in the family are members!! It was like winning the
lottery!! Anyways, in Preach My Gospel there is a section about asking
inspired questions, which I had just happened to be reading that same
morning. We followed the spirit with Melany and ended up asking the
right questions and committed her to come to church!! I was so pumped
out of my mind and we are going to get back and teach the whole family
now! However, she didn't come to church. So that's the problem. She
sent us a text Sunday morning saying she forgot she had to work... It
was a sucker punch but I tried to not take it personally. Anyways, We
will help her realize that she needs church back in her life and get
her and the family to come again!!

The work here is INCREDIBLE. I love being a missionary. My companion
Elder Galvan and I get along so well, he is a great example, teacher,
and missionary!! For sure we will be lifelong friends. I'm trying
super hard to enjoy these likely last few weeks in Valladolid because
I'm gonna miss it like crazy. I love you all a lot, that will never
change :) thanks for everything!! Have a great week :)

Con Amor,

Elder Brady Smith