It's a me Mario!

Oi, Tudo Bem Familia!
   How is it going family!  It has been another great week here in Cambridge in the Mighty Kitchener Zone.  We had so much fun this week in discovering the Wonderful World of talks on a flash drive we found and meeting more of the wonderful people in the wards in which we serve.  We didn't have quite as much success as last week but we were able to slow down and to really just get lost in the work and in serving the members and investigators.    We are so blessed with the ability to meet some amazing people in Cambridge as we go about doing good.  One of those was Mario, We had an experience on Sunday where we went to a care center in Kitchener to visit a few members that are staying there right now and we were blessed to meet a wonderful man named M. He is a very nice man who has a severe brain injury however he is quite lucid and besides being a little slower in understanding he was almost entirely normal. We were walking to visit one of the members and he stopped us. He said he could recognize us as representatives of Christ and as we were able to testify and console him that through our challenges we can grow he thanked us for just being willing to listen. It was a great feeling.  We were also blessed as we were able to teach S again this week and he is progressing so well.  He read the entire book of Ether because he forgot what chapter we assigned him and also he found over 300 of his family names on Family Search.org  He is on track for his baptismal date in a few weeks and we are meeting with him more regularly to help him progress.  So far he is just eating up all of the lessons and I am so excited for him.  As for the members we are having a blast getting to know all of them and they are truly great examples.  It has helped especially as I am continuing to grow in light and knowledge as I turn to my Heavenly Father.  Thanks to Dad for the sick pointers last week they really helped a lot and Elder Martinez and I are enjoying growing together each day.  

  As for Questions.  

1. Do you have Portuguese lessons at church or all English?

All English unless we do something ourselves in Portuguese.  

2. How are your investigators doing? Lots of lessons this week?

Like 24 Lessons this week and our investigators are doing pretty well.  Mainly those listed above.  The others aren't progressing as well but they need some time.  

3. What's up with ESL? Do you have several levels of classes, many students?

We haven't had a class yet.  Usually it is just us and the Spanish Sisters.  

4. Do you have any leadership responsibilities this transfer? ESL teaching or coordinating or the likes?

I am free of responsibility this transfer.  Just get to enjoy having a magnificent day with Elder Martinez each and Every day.  

5. What is the city/area like that you are serving in? Trees, parks, neighborhoods, city feel?

We are Stake Missionaries so we cover the entire Kitchener Stake.   We live in the city of Cambridge in the section called Galt.  It is a lot more like home with more like small buildings and nature and some big houses however still no mountains.

6. Does your apartment have it's own laundry set up? 

Yep and a Dish Washer.  

7. What are your plans for pday?

Getting our matching suits hemmed and then we did a lot of cleaning today.  

8. What was your most memorable experience last week?

Probably Tuesday.  I read through some of the information that Dad sent me and it really gave me some great things to think about and set a tone for the week.  I know that I have been feeling kind of out of it spiritually this week or so and I am really starting to look at things a little differently and it has been a lot better since then.  

9. What are you looking forward to this week?

Looking forward to tuesday.  Two dinner Appointments!!!!!

10. Do you keep in touch with Madrigal and Paul for updates on your  investigators? You had made such great connections and friends there it is probably a little strange to not be there anymore.

A little not to much though.  

  Well this is a lot of stuff for today and I hope you can understand it all pretty well.

Loves, 

Elder Smith

A Whole New World. A whole new place! I only got lost a lot.

Elder Smith and Elder Madrigal before transfers

Elder Martinez studying in the new apartment

Cambridge Kitchen/bedroom

Elder Smith

View from Cambridge apartment

View from Cambridge apartment

This is Elder Smith's Wilson Tartan plaid, family history tie.

Elder Martinez

Cool new pen

OI Tudo Bem Familia!

   Well it has been an amazing new week in an amazing new area with an amazing old Companion.  Elder Martinez and I have been blessed with miracles this week. We were blessed with teaching so many wonderful people and we were also blessed with hitting Standards of Excellence for the first time in the History of the Cambridge Portuguese Area.  We are so thrilled to be here and to have the wonderful opportunity to meet this blessed people.  I thought that leaving the big city everything would be so much worse, especially because in the zone reports that we looked over in Zone council this zone was doing the worst of the entire mission.  However, after this week we have been blessed with some truly amazing miracles in finding new investigators after talking to like 3 people and as well as just marvelously prepared and humble people.  I love this new area!.

   On a more temporal side. We also have a brand new apartment and it is one of the nicest in the mission, a brand new Nissan Rouge,  I love it so much....  Also Elder Martinez and I are having so much fun that it should be illegal. It is amazing to see the blessing that the lord has prepared for us as we are having so much fun serving him and being blessed to see some amazing things.  

   One of my favorite stories from this week was that on Friday we taught S.  He is an amazing man and knows so much about his family history.  As we were teaching him the Doctrine I was prompted to show him the Picture of Grammy that I carry in my scriptures with me. As I testified of The plan of salvation and that I knew of a certainty that we were all going to be blessed to live with our loved ones for all time and eternity the spirit really filled the room.  Then Elder Martinez invited him to be baptized on the 14th and he said yes!  So Hats of to Grammy and the Spirit for that one.  

   Now on to Questions

1. What is your new apartment like?

Absolutely amazing. 

2. How big of a city is Cambridge?

It is made up of three smaller cities that amalgamated into one and we cover all of them as well as all of the rest of the stake like Kitchener and Waterloo.

3. What type of ward do you attend? (English, Spanish, etc)

We attend mainly the Cambridge Ward which is an English Ward.  

4. How many Portuguese members are in your area?

In Cambridge 2 in K2 Like 30 Brazilians

5. Do you have ESL programs in the new area?

Yep it is us and the Spanish Hermanas that teach.  

6. Any investigators you are working with?

So many including the two miracle investigators that we found this week.  We are doing Zebra English and Portuguese Work out here and it is super fun.  We taught upwards of like 25 lessons this week.  

7. Do you have a car?

Yes shiny brand new Nissan Rouge.

8. Tell us about Elder Martinez, what does he do that makes you laugh?

Where to start.  Elder Martinez makes me laugh just by existing.  We are constantly smiling and laughing and having just so much fun doing missionary work.  We wake up laughing and usually go to bed laughing because of all the crazy things we are doing.  

9. What was your most memorable experience this week?

Probably when we Found our last new investigator for Standards.  After we had contacted all of our potentials for 2 hours on Sunday and no one had opened the door.  We were walking down the street back to the car to go to our dinner appointment when we ran into L.  The only Brazilian we have met in Cambridge and she said she would love to meet with us.  It was a miracle and a half. 

10. What are you doing for pday this week?

Some shopping cleaning and then zone sports.  

11. BONUS Questions - Do you know anyone else in your new area? Can you tell us who is in your district/zone? Who are the district/ Zone leaders?

We had Skills and Interviews on Thursday so I know pretty much everyone now.  Our district: Sisters Marmarova, Palmer, Santaluoto, and Takmili and Elders McBride and Andreason and us.  and the Zone leaders are Elder Early and Elder Kendall.  

Well loves.  

Elder Smith

THE END OF AN ERA!!!!

Elder Sam Smith and Stephanie Chavez

Kevin Najera and Elder Sam Smith

Peter Parker, AKA Spiderman

Elder Madrigal

Elder Akre

Elder Taggart, Elder Madrigal, Elder Richardson

OI Tudo Bem Familia,
Man it has been a great week and very jammed full of the Spirit.  It was pretty slow as far as investigators are concerned, (like for all our efforts and talking to people on buses and calling investigators we only got one lesson.) It was definitely the most spiritually enriching week of my mission.  Unfortunately it is also one of the saddest days on my mission.  After spending my entire mission here in the Christie Ward the Lord has called me away to Cambridge Portuguese.  I am going to be serving with Elder Martinez again and I am moving into the second newest Area in Portuguese work.  Elder Madrigal went there to open it with Elder Jesus and he has been talking it up like crazy.  I am going to miss all of the cool friends that I have made here in the ward but it just makes for a better triumphant return story when I come back.  
   As for the new area I will be arriving there tomorrow and will let you know the address as soon as I do.  At least the area I am moving to is going to be on fire.  They had two baptisms last transfer and it is going to be awesome to come in and keep up the great work that they have had in the past.    This week though it all started with the wonderful studies and efforts of Thursday,  which saw the end of Elder Madrigal's ordeal with the US consulate and some sweet revelation on Humility and Prayer followed by a wonderful week of Revelatory experiences in the form of temple trips and Zone conferences as well as inspired visits to members and part member families.  This was actually one of the best pieces of revelation that I received for this week. I came into the zone council on Saturdayy with the question of what I could implement to improve my missionary work. The Spirit hit me so strong as I learned and testified about the power of family history. That same night we had a dinner appointment/ Family Home evening with our Part Member Family we are working with and we taught them the sweet doctrine of Family history coupled with the Easter Initiative. The spirit was there and the family was touched. It was wonderful.

Now Question time,

1. What's the transfer news? Is everyone shuffling around? Is Elder de Jesus about done with his mission?

I am going to Cambridge, Elder De Jesus is going home, Elder Madrigal is staying with Elder Paul. and Elder Gomez is staying with Elder Feth who is coming down from the Great white north of Quebec where he has been hidden for the past 11 months.  

2. What are your plans for pday?

Lunch with a member, shopping, and Journal signing. 

3. How are things with your investigators? 

Okay,  Besides the fact we didn't see many of them this week.  

4. How is the Portuguese branch/meeting situation?

Awesome I love it personally

5. What are you looking forward to this week??

Man I don't even know anymore.  I am going to meet a lot of new faces.  

6. What stand out moments did you have this past week?

see above.  Also we had a temple trip and a conference with President Clayton about his getting called to the seventy.  He also told us about the new mission president.  

7. Any news on new mission president?

Their names are President and Sister Shields and they are currently Stake presidents over one of the YSA Stakes in Salt Lake City.  

8. Did you resolve everything from your unfortunate theft situation last week?

Yep finally done. 

9. What have you learned from this transfer that you will carry into the next?

Humility and hope.  

10. What should I ask you that I didn't? Did you have any fun or funny encounters this week in Toronto?

No but I received uncle Marty's message by way of Aric Penkhe so that was interesting.  He is a good man and it is funny how small the world is.  

  Well Loves every one!

Elder Sam Smith

Umm...... Wow.

Oi familia Tudo Bem!

   Well it has certainly been one for the history books up here in the great (once again) white north as we woke up to about 4 or five inches of snow this morning all over the ground.  We were super glad to see that as we were able to drive out to Brampton this morning in the snow.  Took us like an hour and 15 minutes to drive like 33 kilometers.  Anyways, the week was great and the highlight had to be the spiritual BOMB that is General Conference.  Otherwise known as the Mormon Super Bowl.  I thought that General conference was particularly amazing this year and I am so glad that we were blessed to have two different investigators and returning members come one to each individual session.  The spirit was super strong and as we were able to talk to all of them we were blessed to see that they had felt it too.  

   Other miracles this week were that Is is like this close to being baptized. ( imagine this as so close you have to squint really hard to see it.) We were able to teach her twice this week and she was so pumped both before and after General conference and is working to prepare for the sacrament and to be baptized to show her faith to God.  It is so cool that has been the only real update since Tuesday.  

    Now Question Time,

1. What was your most memorable talk at general conference?

Either the President Uchtdorf Priesthood session talk or the talk from President Holland to end it all off.  

2. Did you have any of your guests attend any conference sessions this weekend?

Yeah we had 4 all at general conference. 

3. How is your ESL group going with the new changes you mentioned?

Well we will let you know when we implement them next transfer.  

4. What was one of your stand out experiences this week?

So Many...  Monday, Sick (good) lesson with Is, Tuesday, Surprise Exchanges with the Zone Leaders, Wednesday, Super Spiritual District Meeting, Thursday, Weekly Planning rest time, Friday, Exchanges with Elder Layton and So much soccer with Brazilians,  Saturday,  Is And her awesome experiences also my mission president is a seventy now.  Sunday,  Amazing conference also awesome members.  

5. What are you looking forward to this week?

Well not much really being a missionary is cool enough.

6. What are your p day plans?

Well we spent the entire day driving too and from Brampton and going to the U.S. Consolate for Elder Madrigal.  We were robbed on Saturday during the Priesthood Session and they took some bus passes, coats as well as Elder Madrigal's wallet with all of his cards, Social Security, licenses the works and so we have been doing the clean up for that ever since.  

7. Michael wants to know, who is your favorite Basketball player? (his current passion)

I don't even know right now to tell the truth.  

8. What did you do in between conference sessions?

Eat food and call the police department like 3 times. 

9. How is your commitment to early morning running coming along??

Well the Weather is not permitting yet.  I have been supplementing with push ups and sit ups instead.  

10. Did your Family history/Easter ties arrive?

Yes and they are quite Lovely.  

 Well that is all I got for today. 

Loves all!

Elder Sam Smith