Leaning like a couple of cholos!

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 Gijón 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 León 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 León right about now 🦁❤️🇪🇸

This week is Semana Santa and things are about to get a little weird hahaha. They have said that Semana Santa in León 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 León. 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