Onward to Narnia!!!

Oi Familia,

   Well it has been a nice long week and everything has changed in my life in a very short time.  We are still in the same apartment however that is about the only thing that is the same.  It has been very fun this week meeting my new companions and diving straight back into the work of salvation.  Like I said last week my companions are Elder Paul and the now named Elder Martinez!!! They are both super cool and we have just a great time every day.  Never before has it been this much fun out in the field and all we are doing different is just working harder.  We have expanded our area even more because get this we are no longer just the Portuguese Elders!  We have now been given permission to proselyte in both Portuguese and French!  We have already begun working in both and though we speak mostly English at home we are planning to do rotations and begin speaking in a different language each day rotating between French, English, and Portuguese.  Lets hope seven years of French Study pays off.  Also in other news, Elder Martinez is from Fortaleza, Brazil but he was born in Idaho and lived in the USA until he was 12 so he is actually not a native Portuguese speaker.  He is however fluent.  He is also super cool and I am so glad to be his companion.  Then Elder Paul is just the best.  A super hard worker, super fun, and he is probably the most beloved person I have ever met.  All of the members from three different wards want to feed us and give us things because of him.  I am so excited!

    Any ways as for other news.  We were finally able to get a Baptismal date for the Nevez Family so soon we should be able to baptize them and see their lives change. As for everything else not much has changed.  

    As far as questions there are a lot this week so we better get started.

Did you get a new coat yet?  Still no coat but we are finally going shopping today! 

Did you get a permanent Costco card yet? I have not gone to Costco yet to get my card as it is very, very far away almost an hour and a half by subway. 

How are your investigators this week? Investigators are the best. 

What is your biggest success this week? Biggest success see above. 

(Last week Sam mentioned his biggest struggle was this ESL party, clearly by this week he doesn't remember it the same way) What was the struggle at the ESL party? No idea what a taco party is but the only problem with ESL Parties is hardly anyone comes but this one was super fun so hopefully everyone comes to the next one. 

What was your biggest struggle this week? Biggest struggle being the only missionary that knows the area and feeling like I don't know enough.  

What is the language you speak most often in your apartment? Right now English but we can also be found at anytime speaking in either Portuguese or French as well. 

Did you take pictures of your apartment to send us? Yes I took pictures Elder Paul lead us on a cleaning rampage so the apartment looks fantastic.

What are you most grateful for this week?  I am most grateful for Narnia ( the supply closet at the Don Mills Stake Center). 

Did you get permission to go to the multicultural event for Halloween?  Haven't asked for Permission to go to the Multicultural night. 

What do you appreciate about your companions this week? My companions are the best!!! 

How are your English classes? We are the Building managers and as such no longer teach ESL classes.  

What have you learned about/from your mission president? The importance of the Missionary purpose and 20 minute lessons.What have you learned this week that you didn't know last week? That it is possible to memorize the Bible Videos.

Does Elder Martinez speak French? Un petit peu.

If you have to choose Legos or Pokemon? Pokemon.  

Questions from Jim:

How are your new companions? Tell us more about the new area your former companions are opening...

What is your area called?

My new companions are doing amazing.  As for Elders Jesus and Madrigal they are working out of the Cambrige wards and the Kitchener First ward in Zebra English/Portuguese work and are going out there to try and find and teach every person that speaks Portuguese.  The Area I am in is called Christie Portuguese but we work out of the Christie Ward.  I hope that answers all your questions!

   Love you all so much,

Elder Sam Smith

Death Picture...on the ground Elder Johanson and Elder Smith. Also Hermanas Sandorf and Hoffman Elders de Jesus, Madrigal, Taggart and Elder Sam Smith

The Kitchen table and view into the Ktichen 

The multipurpose room

Sleeping Quarters...check out the view out the window!

The kitchen

Elder Paul, Elder Martinez and Elder Smith 

The work stations

Photos sent from Elder Johanson's mom, Claudia.

Elder Smith 10 22 15

Elder Martinez, Elder Smith and Elder Paul

Elder Smith greets his new companions Elder Martinez and Elder Paul from the Mission President's FB page

Canada Toronto Mission

11 hrs · Edited · 

We welcomed 14 new missionaries to the mission on Monday! Such great and prepared young people. Two of them have been members of the church for less than 2 years! Wow! (Please forgive the photo--I don't know how to edit it in the format that I have it in....) But zoom in and you'll see our new missionaries and their companions. The are off the build the kingdom and we love them already!

A Wind from the East

Oi Tudo Bem!

    Well it hasn't been that long since I have written you and we didn't do much out of the ordinary this week.  Elder Johanson and I taught a couple of our usual investigators that we are working with and we are blessed to see all of them trying to progress.  The Nevez family is working now on getting a baptismal date and then we will be blessed to see three of them enter the Church.  Our New investigator that we taught this week is also super cool.  We taught him the message of the restoration and he just ate it up.  He said he loved the story and was looking forward to reading the Book of Mormon that we gave him.  Things are starting to turn around and I am progressing myself as I take advice from my Mission president and start trying to grow into the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be. 

   The only other real news I have is that it is transfers and everything is changing.  Hence the title.  Tomorrow I go to Brampton at 715 to meet my two new companions.  Second transfer, 5 different companions, Awesome!  Anyways I will be training this transfer with my other companion Elder Paul.  Elder Paul is from Haiti however he learned Portuguese when he lived in Brazil for 5 years as a professional soccer player.  He speaks French, Creole, Spanish, Portuguese, and learned English here on the Mission.  Our new companion I don't know anything about.  Rumor is he is Brazilian though.  All in all it sounds like next transfer is going to be awesome.

    As for the rest of the Email I have some questions to answer.  First I don't think we are doing anything too special for Elder Johanson today.  Maybe a museum or dinner but I don't think we have anything special planned.  The first week for Elder Madrigal was definitely different.  This week was just strange with the quadpan and then we had snow on Saturday which was a first for him.  It was over all a lot of fun and we all really liked getting to know him.  He and Elder Jesus are going to go open a new Portuguese area in Kitchener tomorrow so that should be interesting.  Biggest success Either Hugo or the Nevez family.  Biggest struggle ESL party. Health a little cold but just because things are cooling off here still pretty good. Now as for what the Apartment looks like.  It is a one Bed one Bath with a Kitchen and multipurpose room.  I will take pictures after we are done cleaning and packing today.  we have a couch, an arm chair, a somewhat basic Kitchen,  two desks, a table, two bookshelves, three beds, a dresser, a night stand, three closets, and a bench press.  It is pretty cluttered.  Now as for what we do for Halloween.  We have to be inside at 6 however our ward is trying to have a multicultural night that they want us to bring investigators to so we have to talk to the mission president about it.

   That is about all for now just living the dream out here and working hard every day.  Love you all back at home.  And feel free to ask me questions. I love being able to hear from you and to think about answers to these.

Abraço,

Elder Sam Smith

New Companion... Quadpanionship from the Mission President's FB page

Canada Toronto Mission

October 14 at 8:47pm · 

A new Portuguese speaking Elder arrived on Monday! He's Elder Madrigal from Santa Rosa, California. Here he is with his companions--from left to right Elders Smith, Johanson, Madrigal, and de Jesus. Welcome, Elder, so grateful you're here!

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! and Elder Madrigal

Oi familia!

    Well it has been an interesting thanksgiving and an interesting week and I don't really know where to start.  This week has been a lot of walking to and fro and we taught quite a few different people and had quite a successful week.  This week we had the opportunity to go to the Red Cross with one of our investigators and to help her start getting involved there.  It was a super neat experience and one that i really enjoyed.  She was super involved while we were there and worked harder than either of us missionaries which was a little embarrassing.  However the chance to offer service helped her a lot in her life.  She had been pretty depressed and subdued and was sick of just being couped up all day.  For her to be able to go and serve helped brighten her life and our lesson with her family later that day was much better because of this.  

   This week we also had a super awesome Saturday because after ESL and our meetings us, The Zone Leaders, Christie South, and Toronto Chinese all went and got super good all you can eat Korean Barbecue on Bloor and Yonge.  It was super good and we were all super stuffed however it was totally worth it.  We also had a super cool lesson with G that day and we helped him learn how to study the scriptures to find an answer to his problems.  

    Thanksgiving here in Canada was very different to what I am used to.   We were fed by one of our investigators and we had chicken and cod fish for thanksgiving dinner as opposed to the classic Turkey.  It was a great meal and very filling however it was a very disappointing lesson with her.  She has been investigating for years and she spent most of the lesson going on about how she loved our church but doesn't have a testimony about whether we are the true church and doesn't think that anyone's life is blessed more by joining ours than just being a good person.  I know though that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a huge blessing in my life and that I have been blessed by living it.  I know that Heavenly Father Loves each one of us and as we serve him that he will bless us.  Also that the greatest blessing we can ever receive is the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the ability it has to wash us clean of our sins and to lift us up and help us overcome our challenges.  

    Now the news you have all been waiting for...  We got a new Elder today.  His name is Elder Thomas Madrigal and he is from Santa Rosa, California.  He is a recent convert of 14 months and he is the first member of the Church in his family.  He is super cool and has an awesome testimony as well as a huge desire to learn more and more.  He is going to be a great missionary and I can't wait to work more with him in the future.Yes he is also Portuguese speaking, and we are now a Quadpanionship

Love to all you back home!

Abraço,

Elder Sam Smith

Elder Johanson and Elder Smith

The only picture I have of Elder Madrigal so far...

....

Little Korea Big Spirit. That Korean Food was amazing...

Oi Família!

    Another Week down and what a Great one it was.  I loved going to conference this weekend and something about it actually made the work out here a little bit easier.  We weren't able to get very many of our Investigators or members to come to conference with us but I have seen blessings in those that did.  I know that conference has blessed my life this week and I am so excited to go over it for the next couple of days and weeks as I digest each talk slowly.  Also as I ponderize my scriptures.  This week is Isaiah 1:18 one of my personal favorites and one that I feel can have great worth to those I teach.  I feel so blessed this week as I look back and see the hand of the Lord in my life.  I know that it has been hard still and that while we are still struggling it might take more time to come out of the reeds but I can definitely do this.  This week I was finally able to use my French!!!!!!!!  We had a french speaking student at ESL (note from mom: they have ESL classes three times a week ) and I was able to contact a french speaker on the way to dinner this week at the local shwarma shop.  I was also able to have some of the greatest lessons and spiritual experiences in Portuguese this week.

    We were teaching our investigator B this week and prepping him for conference since he was going to try to come.  We showed him a talk by Elder Godoy, and afterwards he just broke down and finally let us in so we could help him.  I was able to simply bear testimony of the strenghtening power of the atonement and the love of God and as I did so I received such an outpouring of the Spirit.  I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and wants to help us to suceed in everything we do.  I know this to be true and I know that we will be blessed as we take steps in faith trying to turn our lives back to him.  I found countless examples of this in the talks in conference and invite all of you to take time to truly digest the words of the prophets.  They have changed me and they have changed those I have taught this week and I promise that if you let them they will change you into the person your father in heaven wants you to be.  

     I love you all back home and I know you all want the best for me.  I will make you proud!

Abraço, 

Elder Sam Smith

Sick Korean Food with the Missionaries from Christie North.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.