Yo yo yo how we doin :)
I don't even know how to
describe this week. It was loaded with miracles, planning, stressing out, and
other weird stuff. I came to the realization that this literally is the
greatest time period of my life and it makes me want to live it up to the max!!
I'm in the greatest country of the world, speaking the sickest language there
is, and my companion is like my number 1 homie. We have nothing to worry about
except for the salvation of everyone else around us, which is kinda a big deal.
We are out here preaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! It literally
doesn't get bette than this! Except for maybe some hot tubbing... that would
definitely be nice haha me n elder kiser get home every night and complain
about how sore our bodies are and pop our backs. We're getting old!! Haha but
here's the week! It flew bye, just like randy Johnson's heater!!
So to start things off, last
Monday I did an intercambio with my grandson Elder Peroni! Talk about a stud
muffin! The kid is a machine! He taught me so much and I was so glad to spend a
day with him and get to know him better! We talked to this little Colombian
family who had been contacted by missionaries a long time ago and they were
just solid gold. I'll explain more about them later. But seriously, not many
elders get to meet their grandsons :) I feel fortunate. He's gonna be a good
leader in this mission some day! I swear the kid can get anyone and everyone on
the street to stop and talk to him.
Zone Conference this week was
legit. We went up to Gij贸n to stay the night and then dropped down into Oviedo
for the conference on Friday morning. Oviedo is where Gabe and boo baby kiser
both started their missions so it was cool to visit! We focused a lot on
finding new people to teach, planning, goals, and using time wisely. After
Elder Soares of the presidency of the 70 came and visited us, we kinda changed
our mission motto to 2 Nefi 25:23 which reads "For we labor diligently to
write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ,
and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,
after all we can do." The part that we have focused on a lot lately is the
last phrase, "after all we can do." There's always something more we
can do, and that's the kind of mission culture that president is trying to get
us to have and who he wants us to become. The extra mile missionaries are the
ones who see the miracles!
Elder kiser and I got some time
at the end to have a little council with the zone and get them hyped up and so
we decided to share a video called "Quiet Confidence" from the TCU
Baseball team. Obviously we both love sports so we related it to missionary
work and changed the words a bit and so this is what we shared with the zone...
(the changes are in bold lettering)
"We serve to
be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. We join together. We believe
in one another. And we push each other to achieve a level of greatness that can
only be reached when we all work as one. Our quiet confidence comes from
knowing that, while we may be gringos from Utah, and we might face
a few rejections along the way, collectively we will rely on
extreme diligence, obedience, and faithfulness to
meet our challenges. Do not let our white collar appearance fool you. We are
blue collar through and through. We tell our missionaries 'Don't
worry about the things you can't control. It's a waste of your time and it's a
waste of the Lord's.' The only things you can control when stepping
out of the piso in the morning are effort and attitude. You
give 100% percent of both and I assure you, you will see results. Resist the
temptation to relax. It will only serve to distract and move us
further from our goal. Keep your blinders on and sharpen your focus. Grasp the
urgency of now and Win. This. Day. Good. Now do it again. Then when
the last day finally is over, and the plane settles
in Utah, only then will we learn the answer to the question
everyone's asking. But know this, a single day or a
single week does not define a missionary. A
true missionary emerges in the early morning hours. A
determined force, always on their knees. Deprived of sleep.
Mentally driving the body beyond fatigue. Beyond back pain.
Beyond reason. To the point of exhaustion. How far a missionary will
push the limit when no one is watching, that's the essence of a real
servant of the Lord. So the next time you're out one afternoon,
and happen to catch a glimpse of a couple of missionaries contacting the streets of Spain,
take a pause. Look closer. And feel fortunate for what you are witnessing."
Needless to say, people left the
conference feeling very excited to get after it! President and hermana pack
loved it too :)
Now back to that Colombian
family I was talking about earlier... I was making calls and came across a lady
named Julie and decided to call her and she if she had time to meet up. She
said yes :) So I went with elder peroni to a park and we talked with her, her
sister Valentina, and her mom Margot. They are all super religious and want to
find the true church! We visited them this past Wednesday in their house and
taught them the restoration and it was sooooooooo money. They absolutely loved
it! Unity people. The brady bunch has some serious comp unity. They came to
church on Sunday and loved all the members! It was good to finally get some
fresh faces in sacrament meeting. I don't know how long it's been since there
has been this much excitement about missionary work in Le贸n but things are
looking really good right now!! We also had 2 other new investigators at church
for a grand total of 5 people and it was quite the sight. I am really loving
Le贸n right about now 馃❤️馃嚜馃嚫
This week is Semana Santa and
things are about to get a little weird hahaha. They have said that Semana Santa
in Le贸n is one of the best places to be in all of Spain to see all the super
old catholic traditions. We decided to start things off the right way by
touring the cathedral here and it was absolutely beautiful! I'm gonna miss this
place so much. I'm so blessed to be serving in Le贸n. I wouldn't trade my
mission for anything. I wish I was Spanish some days haha.
I love you all, sorry for the
long weekly report pero es lo que hay :) feliz semana! Happy Easter! Hopefully
the bunny finds you all and leaves you a treat or something!
Con amor,
Elder smitterz
